Two years after the adoption of the Final Act of the seventh United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD VII), and in spite of the entrv into force of the Agreement to create a common fund for commodities, there is still serious cause for concern. Indeed, it seems highly unlikely that the rules of the qame will chanqe to allow producer countries access to the remunerative earninqs derived therefrom for the financing of their development. BCT/jg A/S-18/PV. 6 86 (Mr. Bizimungu, Rwanda) My delegation sees a need for more active international co-operation in the commodities trade, particularly within the framework of the generalized system of trade preferences among the developing countries. That would give those countries a real chance of breaking out of the marginal status to which they have so far been confined and of becoming players in a competition that seems destined to become much tougher with the foreseeable formation of economic blocs within the international trade system. The economic difficulties that are overwhelming the African continent have become a source o:E worldwide concern. The African countries have watched helplessly as the living conditions of their people have declined at an ever-accelerating pace, while their people have been confronting the scourges of poverty, famine, malnutrition, ignorance and a diversity of other woes -and it is not possible for me now to list all of them. ~:~ The hopes aroused by the unanimous and enthusiastic adoption of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development have been thwarted because of the unsatisfactory implementation of the partnership contract linking Africa to the rest of the world. The mid-term review and appraisal of the Programme of Action has demonstrated that the serious economic difficulties experienced by the African countries remain largely unsolved, and that in most 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the economic struggles of African countries, specifically the difficulties in accessing remunerative earnings from commodities, the need for international cooperation in the commodities trade, and the unsatisfactory implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development. These issues are all related to economic development and trade, and the text does not mention other categories such as natural resources, environment, health, education, or culture.

**Category**
International trade, Economic development