Developing Countries

Group of countries where traditional societies predominate, or that are making the transition from preindustrial to industrial and postindustrial economies. Most of these countries are in Africa, Latin America and Asia, in the southern hemisphere, where 70% of the world population live, and only 30% of world income is concentrated. This attests to the injustice of international economic relations, the socioeconomic backwardness in social relations and the low technology level of society in these countries. The responsibility for this backwardness lies, not only on the transnational capital, that exploits these countries, but also on their ruling elites, which slow down development and block the process of modernization of society. It is also important to recognize that worker productivity in d.c. is low due to the illiteracy of a large part of their adult populations, low level of worker training, old technology, and absence or underdevelopment of their own scientific base. The states of Africa, Latin America and Asia continue their efforts to cooperate on regional matters, and at the international level to accelerate their development both collectively and through dialogue with the “North”. The seventh conference of the leaders of the States and Governments of the nonaligned nations (1983) approved a declaration of collective support for the internal strengthening and progress of developing countries, as well as a program of actions for economic cooperation. The Committee for Economic Cooperation between developing nations operates within the framework of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, founded in 1964. Since 1977, during sessions of the UN General Assembly, the Group of 77, created in 1964 by the nations of Africa, Latin America and Asia, has held meetings of their ministers of foreign affairs. In 1996, Japan hosted a gathering of ten Latin American and Asian countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan) to examine problems in the development of economic relations between Asia and Latin America.