dictate the I~ules of conduct concerning economic policy and development. But we must guard aqainst a mechanistic approach to thinqs which in the lonq run would create more illusions than results, esPecially if one failed to take account of experience and of the human dimension. Experience leads us to state that neither an over-technical approach to develoPment nor an aPProach that stresses bilateral relations in the form of a colonial covenant will be able to provide lastinq solutions for the traqedy of underdeveloPment or to achieve economic take-off. If one tried today to look at the last 30 years of international co-operation, it could easilY be shown that such co-operation has in JVM/13 A/S-18/PV. 7 57 (Mr. Gavama, Congol fact been to the detriment of the developing countries, in particular those of Africa, in accordance with the well-known image of the alliance between the horseman and the horse. Pessimism about Africa todav should perhaPs be PUt in context, for the crisis there cannot be blamed on the Africans alone. The oombined effects of deterioration in the terms of trade, the oontinuing drop in export earnings because of the unprecedented drop in the prices of commodities on which our economies are mainly dependent, and the suffocating burden of debt service all have contributed negatively to the situation, hampering anv attempt at economic recovery, a recovery that is in any case inhibited by the decline in financial flows. The adoption of the United Nations Proqramme for Economic Recovery and Development in Africa in 1986 gave grounds for believing in the revitalization of the economy of the African oountries. But looking five vears later at what has been done, we can only exPress our total disillusionment, because the resPOnse of the international oommuni tv has been negative despite the drastic and socially 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the challenges and failures of international cooperation in addressing underdevelopment in Africa, particularly in the context of economic policy and development. It highlights the negative impact of colonialism, debt, and declining commodity prices on African economies. The text also touches on the need for a more human-centered approach to development.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade