Assistance to Africa among main issues discussed during Secretary-General's trip to Europe and Africa.

• Position: Javier Perez de Cuellar

Assistance to Africa among main issues discussed during Secretary-General's trip to Europe and Africa

Efforts to resolve political and economic problems in Africa were among the main concerns as Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar met with government leaders and United Nations officials during a 25-day trip (30 June-24 July) to Europe and Africa. He visited Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Austria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco and France.

Highlights of the trip included his opening addresses to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Summit Meeting in Addis Ababa, the second regular (1985) session of the Economic and Social Council in Geneva, and the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women, held in Nairobi from 15 to 26 July. The need for a multilateral response to urgent problems of development was a recurring theme.

"Another major slowdown in the global economy and in the pace of development would have dangerous consequences", the Secretary-General warned the Economic and Social Council on 3 July. "There is no alternative to pursuing adjustment policies, but this process should now be combined with growth." he said that despite an encouraging response to meet Africa's most critical needs, emergency assistance would be required throughout the next year. "The mobilization of resources for humanitarian assistance has unfortunately not been paralleled by increased assistance for development", he observed, noting that in fact, some development aid had recently been diverted to the most urgent requirements. It was essential, therefore, to support African countries in their efforts to mobilize human and financial resources for resolving long-standing structural problems, Mr. Perez de Cuellar said.

"Unless the fundamental causes underlying Africa's economic and social crises are attacked through durable and long-term measures of structural transformation, Africa will be unable to free itself from the plight of repeated emergencies", he told the OAU summit on 18 July. Expressing support for Africa's efforts to extricate itself from its current political and economic difficulties, the Secretary-General announced his intention of setting up an independent commission to advise the international community on the continent's medium- and long-term assistance needs.

Africa "must be equipped with the means to transform itself into a viable economic community capable of self-sustained growth and...