That trend has to be reversed, but it must be done with care and circumsPection. The development imperatives of the develop:ing countries cannot be sacrificed, and international action in that crucial area nust be based on an integrated aPProach in whidl environment and development are mutually reinforcing. We therefore hoPe JB/17 A/S-18/PV. 7 78 (Mr. Rana, Nepal} that the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development to be held in 1992 will provide a basis and frame of reference for international co-operation in that vi tal area. Human-resource develo'PI!Ient is yet another crucial issue before the developinq countries. It need not be emphasized that only a healthy and well-educated population can safeguard civil and human riqhts and take part fully in the development efforts of the countrv. Assistance in the areas of traininq and institution-building to countries that have problems in nobilizinq their own resources for this secta: should constitute an essential part of a co-operative strategy. The vaqaries of the world economy have hit the least developed countries the hardest. The record of this qroup of countries in the 1980s presents a dismal pciture, notwithstandinq the commitments undertaken in the Substantial New Programme of Action adopted at the first Paris Conference on the Least Developed Countries in 1981. Average per capita income in the least developed countries decreased during most of the decade. Environmental deqradation and natural disasters retarded the rate of growth. High population qrowth rates negated whatever little had been achieved, and their savings capacities have dwindled further. Like all other developing countries, the least developed countries bear the primary responsibility for mobilizing their national resources fully and effectively. Many of them have been instituting Painful structural adjustment programmes, but those have proved inadequate due to their narrow focus. The least developed countries need the immediate attention of the 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the development challenges faced by developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, and the need for international cooperation to address these issues. It highlights the importance of human resource development, environmental protection, and economic growth, which suggests that the category should be related to development and international cooperation.

**Category**
Economic development, Natural resources and environment, Education