17 December 1981

Special economic assistance to Guinea-Bissau

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 35/95 of 5 December 1980, in which it reiterated its appeal to the international community to provide continuous financial, material and technical assistance to Guinea-Bissau to help it to overcome its economic and financial difficulties and to permit the implementation of the projects and programmes recommended by the Secretary-General in his report submitted in response to General Assembly resolution 34/121 of 14 December 1979,

Recalling also its resolution 3339 (XXIX) of 17 December 1974, in which it invited Member States to provide economic assistance to the then newly independent State of Guinea-Bissau, and its resolutions 32/100 of 13 December 1977 and 33/124 of 19 December 1978, in which it, inter alia, expressed deep concern at the serious economic situation in Guinea-Bissau and appealed to the international community to provide financial and economic assistance to help that country,

Having examined the report of the Secretary-General, to which was annexed the report of the mission which he sent to Guinea-Bissau in response to General Assembly resolution 35/95,

Recalling that Guinea-Bissau is among the thirty-one least developed countries,

Noting with concern that Guinea-Bissau continues to be beset by a wide range of economic and financial difficulties,

Noting that the Government of Guinea-Bissau, by the application of a policy of economic austerity, was able to reduce the budget deficit in 1980 to a level substantially lower than in the two preceding years, although the country will continue to be dependent on external sources for public capital expenditure,

Further noting with concern the chronic deficit in the balance of payments, the substantial increase in loans and the inordinately low level of foreign exchange reserves,

Noting that Guinea-Bissau again experienced a poor harvest in 1980, owing to irregular and inadequate rainfall and that the country needs emergency food aid,

Noting with concern that the response of the international community to date has not yet been commensurate with the needs of the situation and that many of the projects approved for the specific economic assistance programme by the General Assembly at its thirty-third session have not yet been financed,

Taking note of the results of the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Paris from 1 to 14 September 1981, and particularly of the Substantial New Programme of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the steps he has taken to mobilize assistance for Guinea-Bissau;

2. Endorses fully the assessment and recommendations contained in the annex to the report of the Secretary-General and draws the attention of the international community to the requirements for assistance for the projects and programmes identified therein;

3. Expresses its appreciation to those States and organizations which have provided assistance to Guinea-Bissau in response to appeals by the General Assembly and the Secretary-General;

4. Calls upon Member States and the international organizations concerned to be generous in granting Guinea-Bissau the food aid it needs;

5. Renews its urgent appeal to Member States, regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental bodies to provide continuous financial, material and technical assistance to Guinea-Bissau to help it to overcome its economic and financial difficulties and to enable the projects and programmes identified in the annex to the report of the Secretary-General to be implemented;

6. Appeals to the international community to contribute to the special account established at United Nations Headquarters by the Secretary-General, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 32/100, for the purpose of facilitating the channelling of contributions to Guinea-Bissau;

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 Guinea-Bissau and to report the decisions of those bodies to the Secretary-General by 15 July 1982;

8. Requests the specialized agencies and other competent bodies of the United Nations system to report periodically to the Secretary-General on the steps they have taken and the resources they have made available to assist Guinea-Bissau;

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 Guinea-Bissau;

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

(c) To arrange for a review of the economic situation of Guinea-Bissau 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.