New notions have appeared in the dialectics of North-South relations since the mid-1970s, and have eventually deeply modified the traditional approach to international action for development through the last two decades. Whereas until the first petrol disaster, Third-World countries development was regarded an essentially economical process in nature, a certain number of other parameters have been taken into consideration throughout the years, so much so that eventually, there has been talk of « social development », « sustainable development », « human development », and finally, « sustainable human development ». This new theoretical approach, impinged with both reason and ideal, gives way to numerous practical applications and provides the beginning of a response to the moral demands of justice and equity lying at the core of human nature. – Summary AFRI-2002