reducing dePendency of vital selvices on external assistance' Hot'el'er 'generally Low income levels have resulted in sorne of the caaes referred to in ttifficulties anal limiealions for such contrlbutions. It Ytas also stressd that universal access to basic education and health servlces was regarded as one of the major soclal aims of tbe least developed countries' Local and recurren! cost support in the aid progranmes hag 1n several cases been an essentlal complenen! of local efforts to keep physi'cal facllitles runnlng' 24. The inplementatlon of national population policies as reconmended in the substantial New Programme of Action was seen as an inportant factor to the succesa of developnent efforls by th€ least developed countries. It was noted that only a fer{ least alevelopett countries had vigorously encouraged poPulation policies and fanily planning activities. Maternal and child care, including fanlly ptanning, also brlng general heal-th beneflts Eo mothers and children' The repreaenbatives of l-east develoPed countries explained that, whiLe geveral least developed countries hatl adopted populati.on progranmes, the deterninants of achieving loeer fertilitlt \dere not aloays favourable in lhe least devel-oped countr ies.A/40/989/Add.r0 EngLish Paqe 15 25. The significant contribution nade bv nornen in the developnent process ofthe least developed countries, especially in the aqricultural sector, rras h iq bl ig hted. 26. Flnancial and technical assistance to the reast devel.ped countries playgan inportan! Dart i.n supporting their efforts in the sphere of human resourcesdeveloFnent. The linkage betoeen both types of asaistance and the rightsequence to be followed in providing then uaa considered to be of crucialsigni,ficance. Ttte viee Has expressed by sone donors that such assistanceabould have been provided on nore flexible termg and should cover recurrencand local cost expenditures. as these have been identlfied as majorconstraints to the developnent of health and education.
**Analysis**
The text discusses the challenges faced by least developed countries in achieving their development goals, specifically in the areas of health, education, and population planning. It highlights the importance of local and recurrent cost support, financial and technical assistance, and the need for flexible terms for aid provision. The text also mentions the significant contribution of non-governmental organizations in the agricultural sector.

**Category**
Economic development, Health, Education