Specific Proposals
Our unity and solidarity will be strengthened if problems faced by one country find alleviation in the policies of the others. Also, we should make all efforts to ensure that secondary effects of the economic measures taken by any one of us, whether in the field of commodity, trade, level and direction of investible resources, or industrial and technological collaboration do not hurt our own partners in the developing countries. Secondly, since all these are interconnected, we must develop a coherent and internally consistent system of mutual economic co-operation.
It is imperative that we go beyond pronouncements to the field of action and prove to the developed countries that we have the political will and the capacity to pursue our goals with united endeavour. I would, therefore, like to place before this august Assembly a set of specific proposals:
1. A new set of measures have to be defined among ourselves, based on a system of preferences, covering trade between developing countries and capitalising on existing or newer forms of specialisation. Such a system, to be effective, would have to include both tariff and non-tariff preferences, primary and manufactured goods.
2. A system of preferences, as mentioned above, would achieve a net benefit for each one of us if a comprehensive rather than sectoral system of preferential arrangements could be negotiated.
3. A payment system among ourselves would help us to override the temporary constraints of balance of payments, from which-most of us suffer.
4. As a beginning, the procurement policies of States and State-controlled enterprises could be oriented towards giving priority to developing countries.
5. Joint action by producing developing countries to regulate supplies coming on the world market could enhance their bargaining position in global negotiations either with other States or with trans-national corporations. Such co-operation could extend to the service sector to include shipping, banking, insurance, etc.
6. Some amongst us have made impressive advance in fairly sophisticated fields of industry and technology. Moreover, this technology corresponds better to the conditions encountered in developing countries, since in general it is capital-saving and labour-intensive. It would not only be cheaper but also more appropriate technology. It would also be effective demonstration of our solidarity if we were to make greater use of the competence available amongst ourselves in national development plans.
