French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday urged world leaders to keep up the momentum in the endeavor to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and reform the UN.

Addressing the UN summit, the prime minister appealed to the world leaders to take up the challenge and honor their commitments, especially those concerning Africa.

That is why France has proposed new financing mechanisms along with other like-minded countries, he added.

For the first time since the Millennium Summit and Monterrey Conference, the international community shares the same development goal, he said.

What peoples require of the world leaders first and foremost, is security. To combat terrorism the international community needs an organization that mobilizes the determination and energy of all. France firmly believes that operational cooperation must be stepped up, he said.

On the issue of globalization, he said while it awakens hopes, the process can also bring scorn for human values and the treatment of people as merchandise. He called on the world leaders to rouse their consciences and respond to all those who suffer.

The prime minister also called for an in-depth reform of the UN, adding that reform must respond to the requirement of the present times: the unity of the international community, respect for the rules of law, affirmation of collective responsibility. The reform must also ensure better representation of the international community in order to be effective.

"Despite our divisions and our doubts, the time has come to adapt it to the changes in our world in order to strengthen its legitimacy and allow it to fulfill its political potential," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2005)