United Nations Radio

There’s a call for new resolve and solidarity among nations to become more interdependent especially where economic policy is concerned.

Supachai Panitchpakdi

The call comes in an end-of-year message from the head of the UN agency dealing with trade and development matters -UNCTAD.
Secretary-General Supachai says it's only when economic policies are well concerted and well coordinated that joint solutions can be achieved.
Otherwise he adds, we will see, what he describes as "beggar-thy-neighbor policies.

"We need to see to it that in 2009, we help poor countries cope to the best of their capacity with the emergence of the financial crisis that has transmuted into the real economic crisis, into a global economic crisis, and not only limited to only financial areas and financial institutions."

Panitchpakdi says 2008 is a year in which it was demonstrated that only by taking collective action can some of the major crises be handled and an inclusive solution found.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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