misery that have been the leqacy of the 1980s in the developinq countries are there for all of us to see. We must indeed turn over a new leaf. One of the most refreshing initiatives on the subject is the alternative framework Proposed by the ECA in the recent pamphlet entitled "African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programmes for Socio-Economic Recovery and Transformation". JB/19 A/S-18/PV. 5 82 (Mr. Shamuyar ira, Zimbabwe) That document shows clearly the neqative effects of the current structural adjustment proqrammes of the International Monetary Fund and the WOrld Bank on the economies of third-world countries. It shows that these structural adjustment Programmes undermine a number of important factors in our development. They undermine our food production; they increase the prices of our qoods to our own people; they import inflation; they increase unemployment amonq our people, and we are forced to reduce the level of employment; and they increase our dependence on the developed economies of the North. Those factors militate aqainst the resumption and revitalization of qrowth a1d development in developinq countries, which is the subject of our discussion here. The situation calls for imagination and innovation. For a start, it is essential that the lonq-term goal of development is kept and is not sacrificed for short-term qoals. In this context, the international communi tv needs to support in a more active and concrete way the initiatives of Africa that have already been referred to. The debilitatinq debt problem has been commented upon by many other speakers be fore me. It is a debt that cannot te paid, and some would qo as far as to suqqes t that it should not be paid. We commend those developed countries that have taken the realistic and generous stePS of cancellinq some of these debilitatinq 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the economic struggles of developing countries, specifically the negative effects of structural adjustment programs and the need for alternative frameworks to promote socio-economic recovery and transformation. The author also touches on the debt problem and the importance of long-term development goals. The language used is technical and economic, indicating a strong emphasis on economic development.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade