A/RES/57/236 1. Emphasizes the need for efforts by the developing countries that are heavily dependent on primary commodities to continue to promote a domestic policy and an institutional environment that encourage diversification and liberalization of the trade and export sectors and enhance competitiveness; 2. Expresses the urgent need for supportive international policies and measures to improve the functioning of commodity markets through efficient and transparent price-formation mechanisms, including commodity exchanges, and through the use of viable and effective commodity price risk management instruments; 3. Expresses its concern at the declining terms of trade for most primary commodities, in particular for net exporters of such commodities, as well as the lack of progress in many developing countries in achieving diversification, and in this regard strongly emphasizes the need for actions at both the national and international levels, inter alia, to improve market access conditions, address supplyside constraints and provide support for capacity-building, including in areas that actively involve women; 4. Urges Governments and invites international financial institutions to continue to assess the effectiveness of the systems for compensatory financing of export-earnings shortfalls, and in this regard stresses the importance of empowering developing country commodity producers to insure themselves against risk, including natural disasters; 5. Urges the developed countries to continue to support the commodity diversification and liberalization efforts of commodity-dependent developing countries, especially those in Africa and the least developed countries, as well as small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in a spirit conducive to promoting a common purpose and efficiency, inter alia, by providing technical and financial assistance for their commodity diversification programmes; 6. Urges producers and consumers of individual commodities to intensify their efforts to reinforce mutual cooperation and assistance; 7. Reiterates the importance of maximizing the contribution of the commodity sector to economic growth and sustainable development, while continuing with diversification efforts in developing countries, in particular commodity-dependent developing countries, especially those in Africa and the least developed countries, as well as small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, and, in this respect, stresses that: (a) International support for efforts by developing countries in the industrial transformation of their commodities is required to increase their export revenues and improve their competitiveness, with a view to facilitating their integration into the global economy; (b) In the area of agriculture, it is important to fulfil, without prejudging the outcome of the negotiations, the commitment for comprehensive negotiations initiated under article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, 11 referred to in the Ministerial Declaration adopted at Doha, 12 and aimed at substantial improvements in market access; reductions of all forms of export subsidies, with a view to phasing _______________ 11 See Legal Instruments Embodying the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, done at Marrakesh on 15 April 1994 (GATT secretariat publication, Sales No. GATT/1994–7). 12 See A/C.2/56/7, annex, para. 13. 3