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CSD-5 HIGHLIGHTS: WEDNESDAY, 9 APRIL 1997

Delegates to CSD-5 heard over fifty statements from ministers, ambassadors and NGOs. The President of the UN General Assembly, Razali Ismail (Malaysia), also addressed the meeting. Delegates elected Vice-Chairs Czeslaw Wieckowski (Poland) for the Eastern European Group and Bagher Asadi (Iran) for the Asian Group.

UNGA President Razali said the poor must be the primary beneficiaries of UNGASS. He called for an analysis of cross-sectoral issues on a par with that of sectoral issues. He said the CSD should: place poverty eradication at the center of debates; address unsustainable production and consumption patterns; respect the rights and needs of indigenous people; go beyond the current debate over ODA and FDI; and examine the role of international financial institutions. He also recommended: setting frameworks to examine the speculative nature of capital flows; analyzing the impact of deregulation; and addressing developments in the WTO.