UN General Assembly
1993

affluent and the poor, the North and the South. Poverty still represents the greatest threat to democratic governance and world peace and security. Political instability, corruption, hunger, illicit drug trafficking and a litany of other evils trace their roots to mass poverty. And the international community is not unaware of the factors that have conspired to frustrate the hopes and aspirations of poor countries. Promises of special programmes for the least developed countries, 10-year action programmes and so forth agreed upon by the international community have so far made little difference by way of alleviating poverty. In Africa, overall economic growth continues to lag behind population growth. And the continent remains the poorest of all. Since there can be no stability or better prospects for the world without reducing the disparities in levels of global development, both developed and developing countries should conduct a constructive dialogue on practical measures for stimulating development. Environment and development are the two major concerns to which the international community has turned its attention. In particular, Ethiopia appreciates the international