Special economic assistance to Benin : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Special economic assistance to Benin

  The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 35/88 of 5 December 1980, 36/208 of 17 December 1981, 37/151 of 17 December 1982 and 38/210 of 20 December 1983, in which it appealed to the international community to provide effective and continuous financial, material and technical assistance to Benin so as to help that country overcome its financial and economic difficulties, Recalling also Security Council resolution 419 (1977) of 24 November 1977, in which the Council appealed to all States and all appropriate international organizations, including the United Nations and its specialized agencies, to assist Benin, Having heard the statement made by the representative of Benin on 5 November 1984, in which he described the serious economic and financial situation of his country and the action taken by his Government to tackle these difficulties, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on assistance to Benin, Noting from the report that, in spite of various unfavourable factors, Benin continues to achieve some positive results in its development efforts thanks to the action taken by the Government and the assistance provided by the international community, Deeply concerned, nevertheless, by the fact that Benin continues to experience serious economic and financial difficulties, characterized by a marked balance-of-payments disequilibrium, heavy burdens of its external debt and a lack of resources to implement its planned economic and social development programme, Noting also that the persisting unfavourable climatic conditions in the coastal and northern regions of Benin have led to losses in agricultural and livestock production, Noting that a round-table conference of partners in the economic and social development of Benin was held at Cotonou in March 1983 and that the Government took steps to organize the follow-up of its results, Taking into consideration the objectives of Benin's national development plan for 1983-1987, Having noted the efforts made by the Government of Benin to mobilize international support for the country's development plan by organizing the round-table conference held at Cotonou in March 1983 with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme, Considering that Benin is one of the least developed countries,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the steps he has taken to organize and mobilize support for the international programme of economic assistance to Benin;

2. Takes note of the report of the review mission sent to Benin in June 1984;

3. Notes with satisfaction the interest and support which the participants in the round-table conference have shown for Benin's development plan;

4. Expresses its appreciation for the assistance already provided or pledged to Benin by Member States, United Nations bodies and regional, interregional and intergovernmental organizations;

5. Appeals to Member States, international financial institutions, the specialized agencies and other United Nations bodies to respond generously and urgently to the needs of Benin as set forth in the country's development plan for 1983-1987;

6. Requests the appropriate programmes and organizations of the United Nations system - in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the United Nations Children's Fund - to maintain and expand their programmes of assistance to Benin, to co-operate closely with the Secretary-General in organizing an effective international programme of assistance and to report periodically to him on the measures they have taken and the resources they have made available to help that country;

7. Invites the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development to bring to the attention of their governing bodies, for their consideration, the special needs of Benin and to report the decisions of those bodies to the Secretary-General by 15 July 1985;

8. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To continue his efforts to mobilize the necessary resources for implementing the projects of the special programme of economic assistance to Benin;

(b) To render appropriate assistance to the Government of Benin for mobilizing the resources necessary for implementing its national development plan;

(c) To keep the situation in Benin under constant review and, in consultation with the Government of Benin, to report to the General Assembly as soon as necessary.