terms of a lessening of political and ideological tensions between East arrl West. These are developments which opened the wav not only for a peaceful resolution of many localized armed conflicts, international or civil in nature, but also for the 1 iberalization of centrally planned economies and for their integration in the world economy as well. More important still, democratic values of political and social organi.zation gained strength the world over, particularly in Latin America BHS/jl A/S-18/PV. 7 83 (Mr. Nogueira-Batista, Brazill and in Eastern Europe, despite the absence of propitious economic conditions. In many significant ways, these welcome sweeping changes have brought about in Eastern Europe new Political situations which are, nevertheless, a source of instability and concern. Rather than the "end of history• we seem to be confronted with its revival in some of its traditional forms. The world is confronted, moreover, with novel and bewildering challenges: global pollution threats, the relationship between environment and development, the management of limited and scarce natural resources - a vast array of problems whose complexity and scope demand more, not less, international solidari tv, burden-sharing rather than burden-shifting, co-operation rather than diktat. At this special session of the General Assembly we shall certainly not be in a position to come to final agreements on how best to revitalize international economic co-operation and in this context how to deal in particular with the specific problems affecting growth in developing countries. We should be able, however -and this in itself would be a significant result -to start not merely a North-South dialogue but a truly global one taking fully into account the fundamental changes of the last decade. We should be able to make use of the opportunity to try to understand the global nature of the problems nankind faces and to start to think about a new architecture for multilateral economic 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the global changes and challenges of the last decade, highlighting the need for international cooperation and solidarity to address issues such as economic development, environmental concerns, and resource management. It emphasizes the importance of a global dialogue and the need to understand the interconnected nature of global problems. The text does not specifically focus on a particular sector or industry, but rather on the broader implications of these changes for international relations and cooperation.

**Category**
Economic development, Natural resources and environment, International trade