ABSTRACT
An important cause of the transformation was the perception of increased bargaining power on the part of the South, springing from the leverage gained by Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries which the North saw in terms of ‘crisis’ but the South as a catalyst for change. Identification of the impediments to progress in North-South cooperation is essential to the exploration of ways to make such cooperation effective. The case for a Third World Secretariat is enhanced by the increasing need and scope for South-South cooperation. The Secretariat could explore and promote ideas for such cooperation. But the case for the Secretariat does not rest on the contribution it can make to North-South negotiations and South-South economic cooperation alone. A Southern coordination centre is clearly required; information emanating from studies by such a centre on Third World causes and interests could, for example, be regularly disseminated to Northern interest groups.
