repeated. Producer and consumer countries ll'Ust work together to define new ways and means of achieving the initial objective, which remains the same: stable commodity prices. Greater co-ordination of national production policies and more interlinkage in mechanisms for international co-operation seem appropriate ways of improving the commodity situation. It is to be hoped that the forthcoming meeting of the Executive Board of the ComROn Fund for Comnodi ties, at the beginning of next May, will provide the operational beginning of that institution. Belgium has already announced a voluntacy contribution of 100 million Belgian francs for the second stage of the Common Fund. I sincerely hope that as a result of this new fund new prospects will be available to the most needy countries. As we approach the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Paris in September, I wish to stress the special importance Belgium attaches to those oountries in its co-operation policy. We are acutely aware of the responsibility t.o provide official development assistance to them for a period that may in fact be very long. At the Geneva m:ieting of the Preparatory Intergovernmental Group for the Paris Conference, Belgium reconfirmed its support for the quantitative target of .15 per cent of gross national product. JP/jg A/S-18/PV. 2 131 (Mr. Geens, Belgium) While we must draw lessons from the 1980s, it is obvious that there is no general, global solution that can lead to automatic, rapid economic development of the developing countries. However, it is clear that it is primarily the developing countries themselves that must carry out their 0v1n development. If Governments, aware of their essential responsibility to establish a ·climate favourable to development, do not establish a sound and effective economic policy, international aid cannot bear fruit. 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of international cooperation and coordination to achieve stable commodity prices, with a focus on the Common Fund for Commodities and its potential to benefit needy countries. It also emphasizes the need for developing countries to establish sound economic policies to achieve development. The text does not mention specific industries, natural resources, or environmental issues, but rather focuses on the broader economic and development context.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade