17 December 1981

Special economic assistance to Benin

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 35/88 of 5 December, 1980, 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 before the Second Committee on 29 October 1981 describing his country's serious economic and financial situation,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General, to which is annexed the report of the interagency mission which he dispatched to Benin in May 1981,

Noting from the report the serious economic and financial problems that confront Benin, which arise primarily from the weak and underdeveloped state of its economic and social infrastructure, its lack of financial and material resources and its chronic foreign trade deficit,

Noting further that Benin's terms of trade have deteriorated sharply and that the production of export crops has been adversely affected by drought, Taking note of the recommended programme of assistance to Benin drawn up by the mission in consultation with the Government,

Noting further Benin's urgent need for international assistance in its health programmes, as well as for food aid, Aware of the desire of the Government of Benin to organize, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme, a round-table conference of providers of funds in 1982 to discuss the country's development needs and to consider ways and means of backing the Government in its efforts to meet those needs, Bearing in mind that Benin is classified as one of the least developed among the developing countries,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the measures he has taken to organize an international economic assistance programme for Benin;

2. Endorses fully the assessment and recommendations of the mission, contained in the annex to the report of the Secretary-General;

3. Urgently reiterates its appeal to all Member States to provide ample and appropriate assistance, through bilateral and multilateral channels, wherever possible in the form of grants or concessionary loans, in order to enable Benin to implement fully the recommended special economic assistance programme;

4. Urges Member States, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, regional and interregional governmental bodies, development and financial institutions and non-governmental organizations to support fully the efforts of the Government of Benin to mobilize funds for its special economic assistance programme and, to this end, to respond generously to the needs of Benin at the forthcoming round-table conference;

5. Requests the appropriate bodies and programmes 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, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization 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 the work of 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;

6. Calls upon regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations, as well as international development and financial institutions, to give urgent consideration to the establishment of a programme of assistance to Benin or, where one is already in existence, to the expansion of that programme;

7. Urges Member States and appropriate United Nations agencies - in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities - to provide all possible assistance to help the Government of Benin to meet the critical humanitarian needs of the population and to provide to that Government, as appropriate, food, medicines and equipment for hospitals and schools;

8. Invites the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Food and Agricultural 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 1982;

9. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To continue his efforts to mobilize the necessary resources for an effective programme of financial, technical and material assistance to Benin;

(b) To ensure that the necessary financial and budgetary arrangements are made to continue the organization of the international programme of assistance to Benin and the mobilization of that assistance;

(c) To keep the situation in Benin under constant review, to maintain close contact with Member States, the specialized agencies, regional and other intergovernmental organizations and the international financial institutions concerned, and to apprise the Economic and Social Council, at its second regular session of 1982, of the status of the special economic assistance programme for Benin;

(d) To arrange for a review of the economic situation of Benin and the progress made in organizing and implementing the special economic assistance programme for that country in time for the matter to be considered by the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session.