The European Union remains committed to multilateralism and a
rule-based international order, with the United Nations at its
core, said Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot on Tuesday on behalf
of the EU.
Addressing the general debate of the 59th UN General Assembly
session, Bot said that "in a world of global threats, global
markets and global media, our security and prosperity depend more
on an effective multilateral system. The search for a strong,
rule-based international society is more imperative than ever."
He said that is why reform of the United Nations is a high
priority for the EU so as to make the world body stronger, more
effective and more efficient.
The great strength of the United Nations lies in its legitimacy,
he said, and the unique world body has no substitute in the
international community. Yet, the organization has to adapt to
changing circumstances, he added.
He stressed that the reform efforts already set in motion by the
Secretary-General, must be intensified and deepened.
The EU looks forward to the report of the High Level Panel on
Threats, Challenges and Change and to the Secretary-General's
recommendations to be submitted to the General Assembly, he
said.
On the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
Bot said that the EU has committed itself to combating poverty and
promoting sustainable development. Urgent action is called for the
achievement of MDGs, he said.
He said that both developing and developed countries must set in
place a range of measures which include good governance, expansion
of trade opportunities, especially for developing countries and an
increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA) as agreed at the
Monterrey Conference.
He reiterated EU's commitment to these objectives and said the
25-member bloc is very much on track in increasing its ODA to 0.39
percent of GNP in 2006 as part of a longer-term effort to raise ODA
contributions to 0.7 percent of GNP.
Representatives from the 191 UN member states, including over 90
heads of state or government, attended the current session.
(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2004)