Channelling the work of all to the same end

39. The richest countries have a major responsibility in the process of reforming the world economy. In recent times, at least, they have given priority to relations with countries undergoing economic takeoff—that is to say, the true developing countries—and also with countries in Eastern Europe whose development can pose a geographically close threat.

The rich countries have their own economically poor, and need to embark on difficult reforms intheir own territories. They are, therefore, tempted to relegate the economically poor in the mis-developing countries to a secondary plane. "We are not responsible for the world's poverty", is something that one hears frequently in the globally rich countries.

If such an attitude were to become common, it would be both unworthy and short-sighted. All people, regardless of location, but particularly those who possess economic resources and wield political authority, must constantly allow themselves to be challenged by the poverty of the most deprived so that the interests of those living in poverty are taken into account in decision-making and action. This is an appeal addressed to everyone responsible for taking decisions affecting the developing countries.

It is also addressed to all, in every country and at the international level, who are de facto holding up the possibility of pursuing the common good in order to protect interests which, in themselves, may be wholly legitimate. Protecting these vested interests in such countries may cause hunger to persist in some parts of the world without being able to accurately identify a causal link or even victims. That makes it easy to deny their existence. Other forms of conservatism, at other levels and in other places, can also contribute to these same bottlenecks.

The reform of international trade continues apace and continues to be advocated. It concerns, above all, the poor people in the affluent countries. This is why it is vital for these priorities not to conceal the plight of people living in poverty in the poor countries, who have virtually no-one to speak out for them internationally. They must be given back their central place in international concerns, in common with the other priorities. However, the "poverty eradication" priorities that the World Bank laid down several years ago are extremely welcome.

The leaders of developing countries should not rely on some hypothetical international reform before embarking on reforms in their own countries. Such reforms are often needed, evidently, to foster some degree of economic take-off. This take-off does not depend on any specific recipes, but its requirements demand a bold and unflagging implementation of simple rules. Rules which make it possible for those who are able to take sound initiatives to do so and to retain part of the rewards of the efforts. Further, they prevent persons incapable of drawing on national resources from being rewarded without regard for their own contribution. Nations must realise that they "are primarily responsible, and that they are the principal artisans in the promotion of their own economic development and social progress(⁵⁸)." As identified earlier, it is the responsibility of governments and institutions dealing with the developing countries, to clearly spell out their preference for responsible and fearless attitudes in the service of the national communities.