The ethical dimension of this reality is obvious and is an inevitable conclusion
for any person with a minimum of humanity. It is also a motivation for solidarity,
since aid and consciousness raising are always the starting point to change things.
The tangible result of this solidarity can be estimated in the amount of development
aid, which is∼0.3% of theGDPof the developed countries (a sixth of the agricultural
subsidies disbursed in rich countries according to the World Bank, 2002), far from
the 0.7% promised at the Rio Summit in 1992. Still, such a ratio is only a third of the
amount dedicated by the colonial metropolis in 1960 (Bairoch, 1971). It is clear that
an ethical mentalitybyitselfhas severe limitations in finding a solution totheproblem
of underdevelopment. If the effort is not conducted so as to search for synergieswith
economical rationality, it will drive people in UDCs to frustration.