multilateralism and enhances the credibility of the United Nations as an instrument for resolving international conflicts. The decade that has passed was for most developinq countries "a decade lost for development". It was a period when the economic problems facinq most JSM/ad A/S-18/PV.6 115 (Mr. Mwananshiku, Zambia) developinq countries deepened and assumed qrave and danqerous dimensions resul tinq in the further marqinalization of developinq countries in the world economy, the intensification of poverty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and certain parts of Asia, and the deterioration of economic and social infrastructures in many countries. RM/25 A/S-18/PV. 6 116 (Mr. Mwananshiku;·Zambia) The fundamental causes of this situation are many and arise principally fran the present unsatisfactory economic relations between the developed and developinq countries. They include, in the first instance, the deterioration of the terms of trade of developinq countries resultinq from the lonq-term downward trend in commoditv Prices. Since most developinq countries, especially in Africa, rely heavily on trade in primary commodities, the result of the deterioration in terms of trade has been predictable and devastatinq. Secondly, the decline in export earninqs resultinq from the fall in commodity prices has led to the emerqence of the external debt problem, which, with hiqh interest rates, has qrown particularly worse in the last decade, effectively impeding growth and development in many countries. The third problem has to do with the overall decline in aid flows. Although, as a proportion of the total, official development assistance continued to grow during the last decade, other flows -and private investments in particular -declined siqnificantly. Thus, aid was unable to compensate for the reduced receipts from commodity exports and increased external payments because of debt service. The result for most developinq countries was a situation in which massive resources were beinq transferred from those countries to developed nations, 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the economic difficulties faced by developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and certain parts of Asia, due to unfavorable economic relations with developed countries. It highlights the decline in commodity prices, the emergence of the external debt problem, and the decline in aid flows as major factors contributing to this situation. The text does not explicitly mention natural resources, agriculture, forestry, fishing, health, education, employment, humanitarian aid, culture, or science and technology, but rather focuses on economic development and international trade.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade