UN General Assembly
1998

flourishes, terrorism looms as an ever more dangerous part of our daily lives, and as the global environment becomes increasingly threatened, the demands on the time and resources of this body and its Members to confront immediate problems are compelling. But while the need to move towards a closer parity between the living standards of the North and the South necessitates long-term solutions, it cannot be forgotten that in the long term the accomplishment of that goal will do much to address the problems to which I have just referred, which seem beyond the reach of immediate solutions. Meanwhile, as developing countries, we too must do our part. We must create the flexible, though outward- oriented, economies that can maximize the benefits of the global economy in which we also exist. At the same time, we must not forget that our national identities and unique national and subnational social, political and economic situations demand a proactive approach that avoids blindly jumping on the bandwagon of the latest development initiatives in order to reap the perceived