experienced a dramatic increase in recent years, the flow of financial resources to developing countries has also, to a large extent, seen a set-back. Those facts, combined with high interest rates, lack of investment, a deterioration in terms of RM/23 A/S-18/PV. 2 108-110 (Mr. Velayati, Islamic Republic of Iran) trade, protectionism and inadequate reduction of the debt burden of those countries, overshadow the glimmer of hope for a solution to the problem and the restoration of growth and development. Thus,· the past decade was a decade of deep economic slo,-down, decline in per capita income, negative growth rate and reverse transfer of financial resources from the developinq nations. That trend has also o:>ntributed to the deterioration of living, educational and health standards in those countries. Increasing protectionism in developed countries deprives the developinq world of access to the market and export of their products, thus shrinkinq their share in world trade. Protectionism should be rolled back so as to qive the developing countries some room to pronote their share in world trade based on their comP:trative advantages. For that reason there can be no d:>ubt that these problems will continue to persist unless serious measures are taken to correct the trend and an equitable policy adopted for terms of trade. There is a common perception among Members of the United Nations that the human being is both the engine and the goal of development but, unfortunately for most of the people on the Earth, that is not the case. In spite of the crucial role of human-resources development in the socio-economic development process and in bridging the technoloqical gap that exists between poor and rich nations, the 1980s will undoubtedly be recalled as the decade in which the development of human resources was neglected. The reason behird that neglect can be traced to the 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the economic development of developing countries, discussing issues such as the decline in per capita income, negative growth rate, and lack of investment. It also touches on the importance of human resources development and the need for an equitable policy in terms of trade. The text does not explicitly mention natural resources, environment, health, education, employment, humanitarian aid, culture, or science and technology, but rather explores the economic and trade-related challenges facing developing countries.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade