African Recovery Committee recommends acceleration of Action Programme.

African Governments should continue to concentrate their efforts on agriculture and financial flows to the continent should be substantially increased. These were among recommendations adopted on 24 September by the General Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole on the Review and Appraisal of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development (1986-1990).

The high-level meeting was held from 12 to 24 September in New York. After two weeks of lengthy and intensive negotiations, the body completed its mid-term assessment of how to accelerate and ensure the effective implementation of the Programme during its remaining term.

Tom Eric Vraalsen of Norway, Chairman of the Committee, said in closing remarks that African countries had done their best in their restructuring efforts, and the international community had tried its best to complement those efforts. Yet, obviously, that was not enough and efforts had to be redoubled.

In 1986, the economic crisis devastating Africa was considered at a special session of the General Assembly, held from 27 May to 1 June at Headquarters.

It resulted in the unanimous approval of the five-year Programme of Action (resolution S-13/12), under which African States agreed to farreaching domestic policy reforms, while donor countries pledged increased assistance and action on factors hampering African recovery.

The Programme focuses on five main areas: agricultural development, sectors in support of agriculture, drought and desertification, human resources and socio-economic policy reforms. It provides the framework for what was describe "a new partnership" between Africa and the international community. An important

beginning'

The Ad Hoc Committee considered the Secretary-General's latest report on the African situation (AI431500 and Adds. 1 and 2), which gave a sober assessment of the continent's continuing deteriorating stale and OAU submission also. The situation was, the report stated, worse now than it was when the Programme of Action was adopted. Since then, some favourable results have been achieved in food production, but per capita income fell 2.2 per cent. "The plain fact is that there is widespread and severe personal hardship today throughout Africa," the Secretary-General reported,

The Committee asked the General Assembly to endorse its recommendations and to conduct a final review of the Programme in 1991.

Reform and restructuring now under way in Africa and...