additional external barriers. It is also recognized that the recent changes in Eastern Europe could have p:,sitive as well as negative effects oo the growth prospects of developing countries. While increased consumer demand, implicit in these changes, may augur well for the widening of markets and expansion of exports by developing countries, there is also the real concern that substantial aid, investment and trade flows from the industrial North might now be re-channelled to Eastern Europe. In short, while we weloome the amelioration in East-West relations, we cannot fail to note the North-South polarization becoming all the more accentuated as the central unresolved issue of our time. It is in the light of these realities and prospects that the need to forge a new global consensus and commitment to strengthen international economic co-operation, and especially to revitalize the economic growth and development of developing countries, assumes poignant urgency. It has loog been obvious that the continuing disarray in the world economy is not caused solely by factors which are cyclical or transient in nature but, on the contrary, reflects a much more fundamental flaw in the international economic system itself. The way in which present international structures and mechanisms of trade, of money and finance, and of technology transfers operate, has tended to put developing counr ies at an inherent disadvantage and has led to marginalization of / 1 JSM/edd A/S-18/PV.2 67 {Mr. Alatas, Indonesia) their role in world development and in the processes of international economic decision-making. Solutions, therefore, cannot and should not be sought in short-term relief measures only, or in piece-meal reform. Nor will any single country or group of countries be able to insulate itself from the consequences of these global problems or hope to succeed, without detriment to its own interests, 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the current state of the world economy, highlighting the challenges faced by developing countries and the need for a new global consensus on international economic cooperation. It touches on the impact of changes in Eastern Europe on developing countries and the need to address the fundamental flaws in the international economic system. The text does not specifically address natural resources, the environment, agriculture, forestry, fishing, health, education, employment, humanitarian aid, culture, or science and technology. It primarily focuses on economic development, international trade, and the need for global cooperation.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade