new stage of the scientific and technological revolution has brought the productive forc:es and the internationalization of the world economv to an unprecedented level of development, thus creating new opportunities as well as new challenges for development. The demand for development has become more urgent than ever and co-C)Peration at both global and regional levels has been pro110ted. Caught up in the race for economic, scientific and technological ~velopment, the developinq countries are facing the most serious challenges. The gap between the advanced developed countries and the developing countries, far from being nar1rowed, is being ever widened. The growth rate of the developing countries is now at the lowest level in the last three decades. Their economies are burdened with negative phenomena, such as the low price of primary com110di ties, high interest rates, monetary and financial instabilitY, trade protection measures carried out by developed countri,es against developing countries• exports and external ~bt which reached $1.3 trillion by the end of 1989. Developing countries• intiatives and efforts aimed at restructuring existing international economic relations so as to establish a new international economic order have failed to bring any results. Furthermore, manv countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America oontinue to be victims of armed intervention and aggression and of outdated JVM/19 A/S-18/PV. 8 88 (Mr• Dinh Nho Liem, Viet Nam) cold-war policies, such as encirclement and economic blockades which deprive them of the chance for economic development. In the 1990s these challenges will become ever more acute for the developing countries. Unless the present situation is improved, the backwardness of most of the developing countries will grow worse, making the problems in international eccnomic relations more serious. For this reason, the task of this special session is of particular importance for strengthening international economic co-operation 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be focused on the challenges faced by developing countries in terms of economic development, international trade, and cooperation. The language used is technical and economic, with references to GDP growth rates, interest rates, trade protection measures, and external debt. The text also touches on the impact of these challenges on the daily lives of people in developing countries, mentioning the widening gap between developed and developing countries, and the effects of armed intervention and aggression on economic development.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade