French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner calls for continued support to reach U.N. Millenium Development Goals. France is the second largest development donor country. The French foreign minister encouraged other nations to remember their responsibilities.
On Monday French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called for United Nations member-states to stay true to the Millennium Development Goal commitments.
The career diplomat, speaking for France during the General Assembly which started last Thursday, has urged the U.N. to follow through with the outcome of the separate MDG meeting, convened just prior to the international bodies' annual September meeting.
[Bernard Kouchner, French Foreign Minister]: (male, French)
"Our first shared responsibility is that of development --to ensure that all men and women, the poor, have decent living conditions. Growing inequality is not only morally unacceptable, it is politically dangerous. Of course, it is costly to act. But the cost of inaction is much higher still. The summit conclusions that we have just held on the Millennium Development Goals, places our responsibilities squarely before us. It is urgent. We cannot ask suffering people to wait longer."
The foreign minister reminded listeners that France was the second largest donor country for development and would remain so despite the economic downturn.
Kouchner says other nations should not forget about their responsibilities after leaving New York.
He also repeated the call for a finance charge on international transactions, to raise funds for development.
The French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as other heads of state, suggested the same idea on finance charge when they addressed the U.N. last week.
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The U.N. General Assembly continues through September 30th.
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