22 July 1986

38th plenary meeting

Industrial Development Decade for Africa

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling resolution 532 (XX) of 29 April 1985 of the Conference of Ministers of the Economic Commission for Africa, in which the Conference of Ministers called, inter alia, for the allocation of resources to make it possible to implement the programme for the Industrial Development Decade for Africa,

Cognizant of Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery, 1986-1990, adopted at the twenty-first ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, held at Addis Ababa from 18 to 20 July 1985,

Conscious of the fact that the implementation of the programme for the Decade and of the Priority Programme depends upon the availability of adequate resources and the full commitment of Governments at the national, subregional and regional levels, and of the international community,

Recalling its resolution 1985/61 of 26 July 1985, in which it called upon the General Assembly to consider the allocation in the programme budget for the biennium 1986-1987 of $700,000 to the Economic Commission for Africa to be absorbed from the $5 million allocated to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, under Assembly resolution 39/233 of 18 December 1984, for the implementation of the Industrial Development Decade for Africa,

Mindful of the fundamentally important linkage between industry and agriculture in Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery and of the vital contribution which the implementation of the programme for the Industrial Development Decade for Africa would make to food production and the rehabilitation of agriculture in Africa,

1. Reiterates the importance and priority which African countries accord to the industrial sector in view of its fundamental role in the implementation of Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery, 1986-1990, and the full attainment of the objectives of the Lagos Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Monrovia Strategy for the Economic Development of Africa and the Final Act of Lagos;

2. Commends the efforts made by African countries and organizations, as well as by the secretariats of the Economic Commission for Africa, the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, towards the implementation of the programme for the Industrial Development Decade for Africa;

3. Requests the secretariats of the Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to increase their assistance to African countries and subregional organizations with a view to promoting subregional industrial co-operation within the framework of the Decade;

4. Expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization for allocating $8.6 million to the Decade in its programme budget for 1986-1987;

5. Urges the Programme and Budget Committee and the Industrial Development Board of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to increase the allocation for the Decade in the programme budget for 1988-1989 in accordance with the high priority accorded to the programme by that organization;

6. Requests that the transformation of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization into a specialized agency should not lead to a reduction of the resources made available for assistance to African countries and organizations within the framework of the programme for the Decade;

7. Appeals to the international community, multilateral funding agencies, especially the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, and bilateral and investment institutions to increase the flow of investment and technical assistance resources to the industrial sector in Africa to make it possible to implement national and subregional investment and support projects.