UN General Assembly
1988

In this context, my delegation wishes to mention some positive signs at the international level, in particular the increasing awareness of the necessity of finding urgent and just solutions to the debt problem. In this vein, my delegation commends and welcomes the decisions taken at the industrial nations' summit ' meeting, held in Toronto, Canada, last June. Those decisions contained the first clear and explicit consensus among the major industrial nations on the importance of taking practical and concrete steps towards alleviating the debt burden of the poorest countries, especially those of Africa. In particular we would recall the recommendation calling for the writing off of the debts of poor African countries, which we believe would constitute an extremely important step towards containing this serious crisis. The critical economic situation in Africa also causes deep concern. The already grave economic crisis in Africa that has resulted from several external and internal factors has been exacerbated by natural disasters such as drought, desertification and floods.