The United Nations fulfilled its international nandate in Namibia in an exemplarv fashion. The success of our Organization has enhanced its international s tat~re at a time when it is being called upon to assume greater resoonsibil ities in co-ordinating a comprehensive examination of the world economic situation and seeking durable solutions to redress the growing external and internal imbalances within developed market economies and release developing countries from the tyrannY of debt, economic stagnation and social crises. There is general agreement about the need for continued growth in the world economv in the 1990s. There is also agreement that development should have a more human face. Revitalization and the achievement of sustainable growth should not be undertaken at the expense of social goals, such as the alleviation of poverty, education, training and environmental protection. However, the realization of these objectives hinges to a larqe extent on the resolution of the debt crisis. The hopes of a North-South dialogue for partnership in development were dashed by a recession. The promises of the Lagos Plan of Action 10 years ago, and the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990, remained unfulfilled throughout the nlost decaden. It is evident that there are shared responsibilities foe such failure. BHS/~jq A/S-18/PV. 8 106 (Mr. Peerthum, Mauritius) Early in the decade, when the lure of easy flowinq caPital was almost irresistible, it was sometimes difficult to bell who were the sirens and who the s•:~ Uors. Today the debt of developing countries has reached $1.3 trillion, and our financial mariners kl'lCM better. Sadder and wiser, they are almost always sailing either too close to the wind or hopinq for a breath of air on the Sargasso of their economies, while the sirens have vanished behind their vaults. 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a speech or report discussing the economic situation of developing countries, particularly in Africa, and the role of the United Nations in addressing the debt crisis and promoting sustainable development. It highlights the need for a North-South dialogue, the failure to achieve previous development plans, and the challenges faced by developing countries in achieving growth and development.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade