A/HRC/6/22 page 11 Taking note with appreciation of the initiatives of the International Action against Hunger and Poverty, particularly in the field of innovative financial mechanisms, Recalling that at the World Conference on Human Rights States pledged to cooperate with each other in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to development, and stressed that the international community should promote effective international cooperation for the realization of the right to development and the elimination of obstacles to development, Reaffirming that article 4 of the Declaration on the Right to Development states that sustained action is required to promote more rapid development of developing countries and, as a complement to the efforts of developing countries, effective international cooperation is essential in providing these countries with appropriate means and facilities to foster their comprehensive development, Taking into account that article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that each State party to the Covenant undertakes to take steps, individually and through international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and technical, to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights recognized in the Covenant by all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures, Persuaded that sustainable development can be promoted by peaceful coexistence, friendly relations and cooperation among States with different social, economic or political systems, Reaffirming that the widening gap between the economically developed and developing countries is unsustainable and that it impedes the realization of human rights in the international community, and makes it all the more imperative for every nation, according to its capacities, to make the maximum possible effort to close this gap, Expressing concern at the fact that the immense benefits resulting from the process of globalization and economic interdependence have not reached all countries, communities and individuals, and at the increasing marginalization from their benefits of several countries, particularly the least developed and the African countries, Expressing its deep concern at the number and scale of natural disasters, diseases and agricultural pests and their increasing impact in recent years, which have resulted in a massive loss of life and long-term negative social, economic and environmental consequences for vulnerable societies throughout the world, in particular in developing countries, Reaffirming the crucial importance of increasing the resources allocated for official development assistance, and recalling the pledge of the industrialized countries to allocate 0.7 per cent of their gross national product for official development assistance, and recognizing the need for new and additional resources to finance the development programmes of developing countries,