UN General Assembly
1996

international cooperation for development. The sheer number of major international conferences held during the past few years and the collective resolve documented offer adequate testimony to this strong desire. The outcome of these conferences fostered a common concept of sustainable economic development for the betterment of mankind as a whole. However, despite all these positive developments on the international economic and social scene, my delegation is convinced that unless these ambitious programmes are backed by the necessary resources and political will, no change can be achieved. 7 We also feel that all activities of international economic and development cooperation, including those undertaken by the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization, must be coordinated and closely linked with the development strategies and programmes of the United Nations system. After all, this Organization remains the most representative institution. While the globalization and liberalization of the world economy gave some developing countries the opportunity to assume a more prominent status in the world economy, the least-developed countries — a category to which my country unfortunately belongs — continued to be