Governments. But the United Nations system itself carries a heavy responsibility for making that act of renewal more likely through the strengthening of its own processes and the rekindling of faith in the validity of international co-operation. The Committee believes that the Economic and Social Council can play a major role in that respect. But all elements of the United Nations system can and should help Governments to return to the spirit of the Charter. They can do so by a process of self-examination, by readiness to be intellectually creative, by subordinating institutional partisanship to the wider goals and objectives of the United Nations system and, as important as anything else, by bringing increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness to their operations. 18. The turmoil of the world economy during the Great Depression of the 1930s and the calamitous consequences of the beggar-my-neighbour policies of those years created a universal determination to construct a post-war world of co-operation rather than of conflict. It may be that disorder in the international economy must increase before prevailing attitudes can change; but that is not inevitable, and it is not acceptable. Urgent action to strengthen multilateral economic co-operation in response to global needs is a viable option. It is the option that the Committee for Development Planning urged the international community to take. -3- II. THE CHALLENGE TO MULTILATERALISM: A TIME FOR RENEWAL A. Introduction 19. Previous reports of the Committee for Development Planning have invariably started with an account of the world economic situation, giving particular emphasis to development. On this occasion, section B below begins by speaking directly to the threat that, in view of the Committee, underpins that situation and in large measure determines the prospects for development. This is done because without awareness of those realities, the search for solutions to current problems will 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the importance of international cooperation and multilateralism in addressing global economic challenges, such as the need for stronger economic cooperation and the threat of disorder in the international economy. While it does not explicitly mention specific sectors like agriculture or industry, it does touch on the topic of development and its relationship to economic cooperation.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade