Thirdly, we must all share a common concern for the environment. Even if all countries cannot be expected to make a commensurate financial contribution to the correction of environmental imbalances because of prevalent income disparities, it would be fbolish not to recognize not only that environmental damage is an unjust legacy to future generations but also that it knows no national boundaries. Moreover, the link between popUlation grCMth, food security and certain forms of environmental damage must also be squarelY faced. It is not only industrial pollution that damages the environment. Rapid depletion of forests, encroaching desertification and increasing vulnerability to drought and famine are equally important to the maintenance of a sound ecological balance and should be treated with equal seriousness. Fourthly, the developing world must share in the technological revolution that will govern the scope and pattern of comrrodi tv production in the next century. In the 1970s, scientific and technological issues ranked high on the agenda of the develoPment dialogue of develoPing countries. With the ascendancy of stabilization programmes in the 1980s, however, they have increasingly been relegated to the background. Developing countries should be not the innocent victims of labour-displacing technologv or of product substitution; they should be the interested participants in tailoring new technologies to the needs of social welfare and production grCMth. It is our considered view that these four principles constitute the entire arena of development policy for the 1990s. Like many other countries in Africa, Ethiopia also faced severe economic problems in the second half of the 1980s. Those years unleashed recurrent drought with long recovery periods, falling foreign-exchange reserves, adverse terms of trade, fluctuating production levels, and growing internal strife. The inevitable result has been a widening resource gap as domestic savings have trailed behind realized investment. DesPite a creditable record of monetary restraint, revenue JB/17 A/S-18/PV.6 79-80 (Mr. Ejiqu, Ethiopia) 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of considering environmental degradation, population growth, and technological advancements in development policy, particularly in the context of developing countries. It highlights the need for a balanced approach that addresses the interlinkages between environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social welfare.

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