9 July 1987

37th plenary meeting

Role of the public sector in promoting the economic development of developing countries

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1983/61 of 28 July 1983,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 34/137 of 14 December 1979,

Recalling further General Assembly resolution 41/182 of 8 December 1986,

Bearing in mind that every State has the sovereign and inalienable right to choose its economic and social system in accordance with the will of its people, without outside interference,

Recalling also that in paragraph 31 of the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade it was stated that due account should be taken of the positive role of the public sector in mobilizing internal resources, formulating and implementing overall national development plans and establishing national priorities,

Noting that the public sector plays an important role in the economic development of many developing countries,

Noting with satisfaction that the developing countries continually assess the role of the public sector in economic development with a view to achieving their national development objectives and priorities and increasing the standard of living of their population,

Bearing in mind the need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector in the light of the various difficulties which have been encountered by developing countries,

Concerned about the practical restraints that the public sector in its role of promoting economic and social development has confronted in developing countries, owing to the persistent economic difficulties of those countries and the financial burden on their own Governments,

Bearing in mind the importance of analysis, discussion and dissemination of the experience acquired by developing countries concerning the role of the public sector in economic and social development,

Recognizing the usefulness of the activities of the United Nations system for facilitating the exchange of experience and information on the role of the public sector in the economic and social development of developing countries and its relation to other sectors and the need to continue those activities,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General on the role of the public sector in promoting the economic development of developing countries;

2. Invites the Secretary-General to continue to study the role of the public sector in promoting the economic development of developing countries and to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session, through the Economic and Social Council, an updated report, taking into account the different efforts made and the experience gained by the developing countries in improving the efficiency of the public sector and, inter alia, paying special attention to the provisions of paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 34/137;

3. Invites the regional commissions and the appropriate organizations of the United Nations system to assist the Secretary-General in studying the role of the public sector in promoting the economic development of developing countries, in accordance with Council resolution 1978/60 of 3 August 1978;

4. Invites the appropriate organs, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to provide, within their spheres of competence, opportunities for the exchange of experience and information on the role of the public sector in the economic and social development of developing countries; that exchange should take place within the framework of the sovereign right of all countries to establish an appropriate role for the public sector and other sectors in accordance with their development programmes and plans in order to stimulate initiative and dynamism in their economies.