(b) The debt situation of many r-east developed countries rernains serlous and the afiDunt of debt oucstandins, includi;g "iora-".., debt and credits of the rnternationat l,tonetary Fund, bad increasld since l98l to g35 billion by the end of 1983. Most donors nembers of Ehe DeveLopment Asslstance Comrnlttee had taken measures under Trade anA oevelopmeni -so..A resolution 165 (s_rx) of 1l March 1978: the value of such ,.""u.a* in respect of least developecl counLries amounts to $4.0_billion, of nnich $Z.S Orffion is in.the form of cancellation of officiar development ."" i"tri." -a"ut, sorne donors have arso rescheduled officiar developmenl a".i=t"i..-l.it or teast deveroFied counErles in several appf,opfiate cases, (c) Since l98l" there has been no general initiative by donors to lncrease the proportion of unt.ied bilateral aid. plosg bilaLeral aid, apart fron local cost financing, has continued to oe ii.eo to procurenent in the donor country' Representatives of r.""t a.rr.iofed countries indicated tbat inA/40/989 /^AA.LO English Paqe 22 their experience tbe tylng of bilateral aid to their countries had increased slnce 1981r (d) In the context of tmproved dlalogue and understanding about domestic prograt tes and policles of the least 'levelopeil countries' nost donors have shown a greater rrilllngness !o Provi'le aid in more ftexibte forme' I'n partlcular for balance-o6-p"yi.nt" suPport' and-at a sectoral level for ;ehabilitation and inprovi maintenance, as well as for longer-tetn development objectlves- Representatives of sone least developed counlries pointeil out that donor 5 continued, antl in sorne cases increased' their preference for project aidr as col$pared to other forna of aitl' whlch created difflcultiesinaldutillzationinmanyleastdevelope.lcountrles.Theneed was recognized for greater predictatrility in che provision of suctr as-sistance and for neasures to Oa t.k"i, to reduce delays between connitments and disburaemenhat (e) while nost donors bave been rnore $iUing to provide- local cost financing, there remains a cautious atcitu'le towards bhe funding of recurrent costs. rt was noted that-E;; Provision of aitt for the l'ocal costs of lnvestments coultl facilitate tne flnancing of recurrent costs' particularly in thesocialsectors,frondonestlcresources.Neverthetess,theinPotEanceof aitt for recurrent costs ln approPriate cases was recognized' proviiled tbere r.ras an understanaling on the tine'scale over shich 6uch costs could be increaslngly flnanced from donestic resources' (f) The donor Governments, and the publtc through voluntary
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the financial aid and debt situation of developing countries, with a focus on the relationships between donors and recipients. It mentions specific types of aid, such as bilateral aid, project aid, and local cost financing. The text also touches on the challenges faced by developing countries, including debt and the need for more predictable and sustainable aid. Given these themes, it seems likely that the text is related to economic development and international cooperation.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade