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Developing Countries Urged to Tap Available Resources
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad November 19 urged developing nations to ensure that all available resources are tapped.
Developing economies must wake up to the reality of being unable to generate wealth and sustain development in the face of irrefutable economic laws and irrepressible market forces, he said November 19 night when opening the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) 2000 in Langkawi, northern Malaysia, according to Bernama news agency.
He called for the lop-sidedness of representation by developing economies in key international fora to be addressed urgently and said that although developing economies make up three-fourths of the World Trade Organization (WTO) membership, they still have to depend on the larger economies.
He said the developing countries have to equip themselves and build their strength because failure to do so is tantamount to surrendering their collective destinies.
"We must strive for greater technological know-how, stronger representation in world fora," he was quoted as saying.
Mahathir called for the formation of a network among developing countries to ensure an effective system of global governance against ills that may infiltrate their economies, saying this could be done through strengthened international cooperation among them.
The Malaysian prime minister said the spirit of smart partnership is a workable entity that promises real, tangible results.
Smart partnership practices are instrumental in ensuring the social accessibility of knowledge, he said, adding, "It is in this spirit that the Group of 77 at the South Summit in Havana, Cuba, called for greater South-South cooperation in the area of information technology."
The LID 2000 opening was attended by heads of state and government from several African countries including Mozambican President Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Namibian President Sam Nujoma.
The four-day LID 2000, themed "Global Trends and Emerging Economies," is the second leg of the Global 2000 Smart Partnership Dialogue with the first leg known as the Southern Africa International Dialogue (SAID 2000), held in Maputo, Mozambique, last August.
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