Assistance for the development of Sierra Leone

Publisher	UN General Assembly
Author	UN General Assembly (37th sess. : 1982-1983)
Publication Date	17 December 1982
Citation / Document Symbol	A/RES/37/158
Reference	37
Cite as	UN General Assembly, Assistance for the development of Sierra Leone, 17 December 1982, A/RES/37/158, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f02019.html [accessed 6 June 2023]

The General Assembly,

Having heard the statement made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone before the General Assembly on 29 September 1982, in which he described the serious economic situation facing Sierra Leone,

Deeply concerned about the weak and underdeveloped state of the economic and social infrastructure of Sierra Leone and the lack of capital resources, which constitute serious obstacles to the economic and social development of the country and to the raising of the living standards of the population,

Also concerned about the weak growth rate experienced by the economy during the five-year period of the first National Development Plan and the decline in real terms of per capita gross domestic product during that period,

Noting that the country's mining industry has encountered serious difficulties and that the manufacturing industries are highly dependent on foreign exchange for the import of almost all of the materials consumed,

Further concerned about the critical unemployment problem which prevails in Sierra Leone,

Taking note of the recommendation made by the Committee for Development Planning at its eighteenth session that Sierra Leone should be included in the list of the least developed countries and of the endorsement of that recommendation by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1982/41 of 27 July 1982,

Recalling its resolution 37/133, in which it decided to include Sierra Leone in the list of the least developed countries,

1. Strongly recommends urgent international action to assist the Government of Sierra Leone in its efforts to strengthen the country's infrastructure, to develop more fully the country's natural and human resources and to accelerate economic growth and the social advancement of its people;

2. Urgently appeals to all States and international development and financial institutions to contribute generously, through bilateral or multilateral channels, to the economic and social development of Sierra Leone;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to organize an international programme of financial, technical and material assistance to Sierra Leone to enable the Government to overcome the severe obstacles which stand in the way of the country's economic and social development;

4. Requests the appropriate organizations and programmes of the United Nations system - in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund - to expand their programmes of assistance to Sierra Leone, to co-operate closely with the Secretary-General in organizing an effective international programme of assistance and to report periodically to him on the steps they have taken and the resources they have made available to assist that country;

5. Calls upon regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations, as well as the international development and financial institutions, to give urgent consideration to the establishment of a programme of assistance to Sierra Leone or, where one is already in existence, to the expansion of that programme;

6. Urges all States and relevant United Nations bodies - in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities - to provide all possible assistance to help the Government of Sierra Leone meet the critical humanitarian needs of the population and to provide, as appropriate, food, medicines and essential equipment for hospitals and schools;

7. Invites the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development to bring to the attention of their governing bodies, for their consideration, the special needs of Sierra Leone and to report the decisions of those bodies to the Secretary-General by 15 July 1983;

8. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To dispatch a multiagency mission to Sierra Leone with a view to holding consultations with the Government on the additional assistance which it needs for the economic and social development of the country and to communicate the report of the mission to the international community, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly;

(b) To ensure that adequate financial arrangements are made for the organization of an effective international programme of assistance to Sierra Leone and for the mobilization of international assistance;

(c) To inform the Economic and Social Council, at its second regular session of 1983, of the assistance granted to Sierra Leone;

(d) To keep the situation regarding assistance to Sierra Leone under review and to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

Assistance for the development of Sierra Leone

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