A/RES/54/231 Page 3 Taking note further, in the context of globalization and interdependence, of the ongoing work of the Commonwealth Secretariat/World Bank Joint Task Force on Small States, Noting with appreciation that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, at its tenth session, to be held at Bangkok from 12 to 19 February 2000, will focus on “Development strategies in an increasingly interdependent world: applying the lessons of the past to make globalization an effective instrument for the development of all countries and all people”, Welcoming the decision of the Economic and Social Council to devote the high-level segment of its substantive session of 2000 to the theme “Development and international cooperation in the twenty-first century: the role of information technology in the context of a knowledge-based global economy”,3 1. Reaffirms that the United Nations has a central role to play in promoting international cooperation for development and in promoting greater policy coherence on global development issues, including in the context of globalization and interdependence; 2. Strongly stresses that the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization should intensify their collaboration, as appropriate, in promoting policy coherence, complementarity and coordination on economic, financial, trade and development issues at the global level, which should aim at optimizing the benefits and minimizing the negative consequences of globalization, liberalization and interdependence, taking into account the specific vulnerabilities, concerns and needs of developing countries; 3. Calls for increased international cooperation to address the challenges of globalization through the enhanced participation of developing countries in the international economic policy decision-making process; integrated consideration of trade, finance, technology transfer and development issues by the relevant international institutions; and the continuation of a wide range of reforms of the international financial system; 4. Calls upon all countries, in particular the major developed economies, to enhance coherence among their financial, trade and development cooperation policies, with a view to creating an enabling international economic environment supportive of development, in particular of developing countries; 5. Stresses the importance, at the national level, of maintaining sound macroeconomic policies and developing effective institutional and regulatory frameworks and human resources, so as to realize the mutually reinforcing objectives of poverty eradication and development, including through national poverty reduction strategies and enhanced policy coherence; 6. Urges the international community to promote international development cooperation aimed at enhancing the participation of developing countries in the globalizing world economy; 7. Also urges the international community to adopt policies that promote equity in finance, trade and transfer of technology and address the problems of developing countries in the areas of external debt and transfer of resources, financial vulnerability, declining terms of trade and market access; 3 See Economic and Social Council decision 1999/281. /...