Some countries continue to offer us the distressing spectacle of peoples tearing each other to pieces. And in various parts of the continent, tensions are liable, at any moment if we do not take care, to degenerate into bloody combats. At the end of 1994, Africa had nearly 7 million refugees and about 2 million displaced persons, which is the highest figure in the world. We all know that institutional and political instability, persistent tensions and incessant confrontations are major obstacles to development. Indeed, while there can be no peace without development, it is also not possible to have sustainable development without peace.
Conflicts help to spawn poverty, and povrty is itself an undeniable factor in conflict.
This vicious cycle absolutely has to be broken. For years now, the United Nations system has been trying to overcome these difficulties and promote Africa's development. Within the whole spectrum of United Nations agencies and programmes, action is being stepped up with that goal in mind. But we must go still further. For it is essential to meet the increasingly pressing needs of African women and men.