facing the Philippines, he said that natural disasters and floods, which devastated agricultural crops and destroyed infrastructure, had had severe adverse effects on the economy. In that connection, he paid a tribute to the assistance provided by the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator (UNDRO). He further noted that it is difficult and expensive to maintain an updated statistical data base needed for development planning because of the archipelagic nature of the country and also that poor transport and communications posed a serious problem. He said that assistance in that area and others, such as environmental protection, human resource development, technology, access to foreign markets, was urgently required. 20. The representative of France noted that the convening of that particular meeting in New York, instead of Geneva, was exceptional and should not set a precedent for the future. With respect to the problems facing IDCs, she said that it was important to note that there was a wide diversity among the IDCs, but that a number of them belonged to the category of the least developed countries (LDCs). She added that the IDCs which were also LDCs enjoyed like all LDCs, special treatment in various areas, such as trade through GSP. She further said that the IDCs al60 had special treatment in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Lome IV Convention. She emphasized that those efforts which were being undertaken at the multilateral and bilateral level should be taken into account in discussing the measures in favour of the IDCs. 21. The representative of Bahrain emphasized the need for international measures to alleviate the particular problems which IDCs faced. He pointed out that it was necessary to have a biannual review of the problems of IDCs within UNCTAD in order to improvr the co-ordination of assistance to those 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the economic impact of natural disasters on a country and the need for international assistance to alleviate the problems faced by IDCs (International Development Corporations). It also touches on the importance of maintaining updated statistical data and the challenges posed by the country's archipelagic nature and poor transport and communication infrastructure. The text does not explicitly mention agriculture, forestry, fishing, industry, health, education, employment, or culture.

**Category**
Economic development, Humanitarian aid and relief