联合国文件/part0123

That Council must develop its dialogue and solidarity with the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization, especially in the field of world economic policymaking.

It would also be useful to coordinate efforts among international and regional organizations in the interests of complementarity.

The Co-Chairperson (Sweden): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia, delivered on his behalf by His Excellency Mr. Abdelwaheb Abdallah, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia.

Mr. Abdallah (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic): I have the honour to convey the sincere greetings of His Excellency President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia, and to deliver His Excellency's address to this United Nations High-level Meeting.

“I am pleased to express my deep appreciation of the efforts made by all parties to ensure an excellent preparation for this United Nations High-level Meeting.

I wish also to commend the role played by the Secretary-General Kofi Annan in providing the optimum conditions for its success.

“Let me also convey to the Government of the United States and the friendly American people our condolences and sympathy with respect to the hurricane, express the solidarity of the Tunisian people with the bereaved families and voice the hope that they may promptly overcome the challenges now facing them.

“This special meeting, which is part of the process of assessing progress in the implementation of the Millennium Summit Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly five years ago, assumes today a special significance, as peoples around the world expect it to live up to their aspirations for peace, security, development and prosperity.

“Tunisia helped to crystallize those noble objectives by presenting a number of proposals and initiatives.

My country will continue to promote its effective role in developing methods of multilateral action based on its firm commitment to the United Nations Charter and the establishment of a world order based on the principles of solidarity, justice and equality.

“It gives us cause for pride that the results achieved in Tunisia on the path of reform, development and modernization over the past two decades are in line with the Development Goals set by the Millennium Summit, particularly in terms of reducing the rate of poverty, improving the Gross Domestic Product, spreading education throughout the country, strengthening gender equality, promoting reproductive health, and integrating the principles of sustainable development into national policies.

“It gives us cause for pride that the results achieved in Tunisia on the path of reform, development and modernization over the past two decades are in line with the Development Goals set by the Millennium Summit, particularly in terms of reducing the rate of poverty, improving the Gross Domestic Product, spreading education throughout the country, strengthening gender equality, promoting reproductive health, and integrating the principles of sustainable development into national policies.

“Those results are the fruits of continued national efforts in the process of comprehensive reform based on the primacy of law, the anchoring of the mechanisms of good governance, and the establishment of a close correlation between democracy, the protection and development of human rights in all their dimensions as an indivisible whole, and the achievement of economic and social development.

“Tunisia remains convinced that achieving the Millennium Goals requires joint efforts by the international community — Governments and organizations alike — in order to further promote the values of solidarity in helping developing countries, particularly in the African continent, to implement their development programmes and plans and meet the challenges of modernity and progress.

“In that respect, we welcome the steps taken by a number of developed nations to allocate 0.7 per cent of their gross domestic product to the achievement of those Goals by 2015.

We also hope that similar measures and initiatives will be taken to provide medium-income developing countries with the means and mechanisms necessary to increase their development efforts and bolster their economic and social programmes.

“Poverty, destitution, famine and other scourges confronting many regions of the world — particularly in Africa — require that, as a matter of urgency, we address their root causes comprehensively through a movement of solidarity involving the various components of the international community.

In that context, we believe the time has come to provide the financial resources needed to enable the World Solidarity Fund to begin the work for which that United Nations mechanism was established — following its adoption by the General Assembly on the basis of a Tunisian proposal — to eradicate poverty, exclusion and marginalization, in accordance with the Millennium Summit policy guidelines.

“Our 1998 appeal for the convening of the World Summit on the Information Society reflected our resolve to establish a global knowledge society offering everyone equal opportunities for access to the benefits of scientific and technological progress, which would help to narrow the digital and developmental divide between developed and developing countries.

“Tunisia, which is working to provide the best possible conditions for the holding of the second phase of that important international event from 16 to 18 November 2005, looks forward to massive and high-level participation by Members present at this summit through representatives of Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector so as to ensure the success of its proceedings and the achievement of the objectives pursued, which are essentially in line with those set out in the Millennium Declaration.

“The changes occurring in the international sphere require that we all work to establish a sound framework for reforming the United Nations system and restructuring its bodies in line with the requirements of the current phase, particularly with regard to expanding the Security Council and strengthening the role of the General Assembly and of the Economic and Social Council.

“It is our hope that this Meeting will result in the adoption of consensual practical measures that will support development programmes throughout the world and strengthen the foundations of collective security — particularly by combating terrorism, tackling its root causes and reducing the number of weapons and the spread of weapons of mass destruction — in order to enshrine the pivotal role that the United Nations is called upon to play in all those vital areas and to enable the Organization to continue to work to implement the lofty goals for which it was founded 60 years ago.

“I am confident that the Gabonese and Swedish co-chairpersons of this important meeting will assist in the achievement of the desired goals and that recommendations will be issued that will consolidate the foundations of security, stability and sustainable development throughout the world.”

The Co-Chairperson (Sweden): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Raymond Ramazani Baya, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.