dispute, however, is the fact that Africa, below the Sahara, has emerged from the ,TSP.i/ad A/S-18/PV.6 74-75 (Mr • Ej i gu , Ethiopia l 1980s as the least developed and economically the most vulnerable part of the globe. Africa has indeed taken a sustained economic beating in the 1980s and enters the 1990s in a state of extreme vulnerability. It is today a fragile continent which can scarcely benefit from cheerful exhortations of the virtues of international competitiveness. It needs assistance to recover from both the acute stochastic shocks, and at times cbmestic economic mismanagement of the last decade, before it can appreciate and benefit from new opportunities for trade and development in the 1990s. The harsh experience of the 1980s has nevertheless had one imoortant and beneficial effect. It has changed the way people nCM think about development. The remedy for the economic ills of much of Africa should no longer be viewed only in terms of a swift and significant dose of devaluation and deflation regardless of the im}:act on people's lives. Today, ideas on development are approaching a steady convergence, thoucb at times painful. While it is important for develoPing economies to "adjust" their production structures in the liqht of changes in world trade flows, such a1 economic transformation needs considerable time and large volumes of external assistance. In addition, it requires an economic vision for the 1990s that goes beyond sloqans. * * Mrs. Castro de Barish (Costa Rica), Vice-President, took the Chair. JB/17 A/S-18/PV.6 76 (Mr. Ejiqu; Ethiopia) The experience of the 1980s has led .to a re-examination of the perceptions and practices of everyone involved in the development effort -Government, donor aqencies and private orqanizations alike. Let us not forqet that, durinq the 
**Analysis**
The text primarily discusses the economic situation of Africa, specifically the challenges faced by the continent in the 1980s and the need for assistance to recover. It also touches on the need for a new approach to development that takes into account the human impact of economic policies. 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, Humanitarian aid and relief