AbstractThe disbursed debt of those developing countries which import oil rose from a nominal value of $90 billion at the end of 1973 to more than $170 billion at the end of 1976, while their debt service rose from $13 billion to over $25 billion. The debt problem of these countries was a central focus of international attention during the North/South Dialogue (the CIEC) in Paris which ended in June 1977. Meanwhile the discussions have continued in other fora, especially in the framework of UNCTAD which will meet at ministerial level. The DAC working party on financial aspects of development assistance has had the debt problem of developing countries under review for many years and has provided substantial inputs into the international debt discussion, especially at UNCTAD.