UN General Assembly
1965

147. The items on economic development, international trade and technical assistance constitute one of the heaviest sections of the agenda. One of the gravest problems caused by colonialism is the backwardness and distortion of the economies of the developing countries. The gap between those countries and the developed countries has continued to widen. One of the central objectives of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held at Geneva in 1964, was the adoption of agreements and measures aimed at progressively closing that gap. It must be recognized that the hopes placed in that Conference have almost vanished. Thus far, the initiatives taken and the resolutions adopted have not gone beyond the nebulous sphere of good intentions. The meeting of the Trade and Development Board held recently at Geneva was a complete fiasco.