to the common objective of eradicating the scourge of poverty and misery from the world. In this age when scientific and technological advances have created the potential for meeting the basic needs of all mankind, it is unacceptable that the majority of the world's population should continue to live in privation and misery. It would be wrong to put all the blame on unsound policies, as some developed countries are wont to do. It is largely and in many significant respects a function of the adverse international economic environment in which developing countries have had to operate. We need to remind ourselves that we have assembled here primarily to examine how growth and development in developing countries can be activated. It is therefore necessary to identifY the key factors militating against growth and development in these countries and address them squarely. As the Secretary-General's report points out, trade between nations is vital to growth. But the history of developing countries' integration into the JVM/2 A,S-18/PV. 4 3 (Mr. Obed Asamoah, Ghana) international trading system has been one of unequal exchange, as exemplified by the persistent and ever worsening adverse berms of trade between the developed and developing countries. The effect of this unequal exchange on the economic performance of developing countries has been devastating. It is at the heart of the perennial balance-of-payments difficulties and the low rates of domestic investment of many developing countries, in particular in Africa. How can the African economies grow when, according to the World Bank, over the last six years Africa has lost far more from the drop in the prices of its commodity exports than it has gained from the totality of aid and external assistance it has received? In 1988 Ghana lost $100 million from the drop in the price of cocoa. Had this sum 
**Analysis**
The text primarily discusses the economic challenges faced by developing countries, particularly in Africa, and the need to address these issues to promote economic growth and development. It highlights the adverse effects of unequal international trade and the impact of declining commodity prices on these countries' economies.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade