is an urgent need to reverse this trend, on practical, moral and ethical grounds. During this special session we must be able to spur meaningful co-operative action to this end. Our present theme, the revitalization of growth, was nost aptly chosen. Particularly in the developing countries, this calls for a different orientation to our development efforts. This will necessarily entail sustained efforts along a wide front. The development objective must be rut into sharper focus than the theme of adjustment which has lonq overshadowed it. In most developing countries, major lRH/4 A/S-18/PV. 8 13 (Mr. Ahsan, Bangladesh) adjustment programmes are already under way; there is need for us to ensure that these are but tressed by adequate financial support. They must be tuned to the fundamental transformational needs of these countries. They must take into account social and human dimensions. Also, these need. to be undertaken in a sufficiently long time-frame suited to the situations of individual countries. In this context the special needs of the least-developed countries deserve special attention. There, the situation is definitely worsening. These countries suffer from severe structural handicaps, serious debt-overhang and inadequate development finance. Many of these constraints are of an exogenous character. The problems of this group were most recently reviewed at a ministerial-level meeting in Dhaka in February of this year. I should like to draw the attention of the international community to the Dhaka Declaration that emerged therefrom. Urgent and imnediate actions are required to unlock growth in these countries. The outcome of the Second United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, due to be held in Paris in September of this year, will be crucial in this respect. The dismal growth performance in the developing countries in general, and the least-developed countries in particular, has in many ways been the direct 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the need for urgent action to reverse the trend of poor growth performance in developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries. It highlights the importance of sustainable development efforts, adequate financial support, and addressing social and human dimensions. The text also mentions the need for long-term solutions and special attention for the least-developed countries. Given the focus on economic development, international cooperation, and the need for sustainable solutions, it is likely that the text falls under the category of economic development.

**Category**
Economic development