UN General Assembly
1999

we call upon the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General to take the necessary actions in this regard – to have the General Assembly, or a committee of the whole within it, debate these ideas and give them substance. They must be adopted by a consensus of all States, and the Secretary-General would be asked to present a report on the results of this debate to the General Assembly at its next session, in the light of which the Assembly would take a decision on his suggestions. The World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen made the eradication of poverty a top priority for international action, because it pertains to the stability of the international order and its credibility. Yet the increasing marginalization of the developing countries, particularly that of the least developed countries, most of which are in Africa, threatens to create new lines of confrontation between the North and the South. This confrontation would be fuelled by unjust economic, social and development considerations and standards, and it could negatively affect international stability.