"IN the last six years we have seen a greater increase in international trade than we had in the preceding 200 years," says Peter Sutherland. "That brings an enormous integration of economies. If we can bring about economic integration and equality of opportunity then we have a real chance of creating exponential growth in poorer countries."
The Overseas Development Council (ODC) is a private non-profit making international policy research institute based in Washington DC. Its aim is to influence the policies of international institutions that can promote development in poorer countries.
Mr Sutherland was attracted to the council because of its commitment to the reform of international multilateral institutions. Its sponsors include charitable trusts and multinational oil companies. Its agenda, he says, is to draw governments into debate and influence them into reforming multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
"The multilateral institutions set up after the second World War The Bretton Woods institutions were all set up in the context of a divided world, a completely different world than we have now."
The ODC appointed him chairman five weeks ago for what his predecessor, Mr Stephen Friedman, called his "unique and invaluable combination of public and private sector experiences, and expertise in the worlds of business, banking, law and trade".
As former European Commissioner responsible for Competition, and chairman of the world trade talks and head of the World Trade Organisation, Mr Sutherland had easy access to most world leaders, and by the end of the trade talks had offended few. He is currently chairman and managing director of Goldman Sachs International.
The change in the world economic order cannot be overstated, he says, and the world's leaders must deal more radically than they have with the changes. "With the collapse of the Iron Curtain we have for the first time ever at least in theory a non-ideological world in economic policy.
"Everywhere people are pursuing broadly the same policies of liberalisation of trade and opening of opportunities for trade in Asia, Africa or anywhere else."
But in the new world economic order, is there the level of interest in development that he and the ODC would like to see? He agrees that with the explosion in trade has come a sharp reduction in interest in the development of poorer countries, coupled with a cynicism about the effectiveness of multilateral institutions which deal with development and suggestions that they should not be supported.
"There is a theory around that aid doesn't work. Now it may be argued that aid hasn't been optimised, that it sometimes hasn't been effective, that it has been wasted or that it has been paid to corrupt regimes and so on. But to argue that aid doesn't work is untrue.
"Real per capita GDP tripled for all developing countries between 1960 and 1989. Even in sub Saharan Africa there was an 84 per cent increase in that period. Average life expectancy went up by 16 years, literacy went up 40 per cent, child mortality rates halved and basic infrastructure was provided.
"I'm not trying to diminish the appalling horrors in developing countries, but some good things were done. So to dismiss aid as being ineffective is ridiculous."
The international economic institutions must change to deal with new realities, he says. "In 2010 five of the top 10 countries economically will be in Asia, yet none of these five will be in the The G7 group's claim to represent the world's most economically powerful states certainly has a credibility problem. Its membership is confined to the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy and does not include any of the rapidly developing south east Asian countries, for example.
"G7 represents a diminishing proportion of the total global population," says Mr Sutherland, "and does not reflect the interests of developing countries at all."
He rejects the pessimistic view that richer countries do not have a strong self interest in developing poorer countries, and therefore will never make the necessary policy shifts and commit the necessary resources.
The relationship of dependency that many developing countries have towards the developed world is "absolutely not" in the developed world's interests, he asserts. "Even from the point of view of self interest that is quite wrong. The high growth rates and the low inflation we enjoy now are largely due to the increase in trade.
"The increase in exports out of the EU into south east Asia has been greater than the increase in exports from south east Asia to the EU." In other words the development of these new economies has greatly benefited the already developed economies.
But he agrees it is harder to interest the rich countries in the development of sub Saharan Africa.
"In regard to Africa it is difficult to make the case that there is an immediate and substantial economic plus from helping development.
"But there is a moral dimension to this, and I think people Still respond to the moral dimension. In the GATT negotiations I found that, with everybody, ultimately you were negotiating with human beings, and people from all countries were prepared to make agreements and to do things that went beyond pure self interest in certain situations.
He sees the need for a forum, an annual conference of heads of state and governments on basic economic issues, supported by the World Bank, the IMF and the World Trade Organisation. We should be able to bring together global leadership to discuss global projects.
For its part the Overseas Development Council is now putting together an international board. It hopes to attract 30 to 40 high calibre people, with a high international profile, who will have access to the media to get their message across.