24 May 1989

15th plenary meeting

Activities of the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations related to economic co-operation among developing countries

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 3241 (XXIX) of 29 November 1974, 32/182 of 19 December 1977, 33/134 of 19 December 1978 and 39/216 of 18 December 1984 concerning economic co-operation among developing countries,

Reaffirming the important role that economic co-operation among developing countries can play in promoting the development of developing countries,

Recognizing the competence of the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations in the area of transnational corporations in general and of joint ventures and other alternative and new forms of international economic co-operation among national corporations from different developing countries,

Encouraged by the fact that the least developed among the developing countries receive a sizeable portion of their foreign investment from developing countries,

1. Affirms the need to enlarge the role of the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations in promoting new forms of economic co-operation among developing countries within its mandate and in technical co-operation and assistance for interested developing countries;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to conduct a study of the experience of joint ventures among national corporations from different developing countries and their contribution to the development process in developing countries, including an analysis of the possibilities and potentialities offered in this field by regional economic integration and co-operation among developing countries;

3. Invites the Centre to explore the possibilities for further increasing the co-operation between the least developed countries and other developing countries in the field of foreign investment;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to include in the study referred to in paragraph 2 above specific proposals on ways and means of promoting that form of co-operation and to report on the matter to the Commission on Transnational Corporations at its sixteenth session.