Today's Date:

United Nations Economic and Social Council

Speech by Brigitte Girardin, Minister Delegate for Cooperation, Development and Francophony, at the plenary session of the high level segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council

New York, June 30, 2005

ECOSOC/MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Permit me, first of all, to express support for the speech delivered by Luxembourg on behalf of the European Union, and her forceful expression of the European Union member States' determination to contribute actively, in a spirit of solidarity, to the implementation of the internationally-agreed development goals.

The High-Level segment of the Economic and Social Council is of special importance this year, in view of its theme and its position on the international agenda. It is taking place with a view to the United Nations September summit, which has aroused expectations and ambitions we cannot ignore.

Consequently, ECOSOC is this year reviewing the achievement of the internationally-agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration.

Our assessment of the situation today is a mixed one. While results are positive in certain regions where growth and development have helped genuinely to alleviate poverty, they remain modest, too modest in many others where the very survival of part of humanity is not assured.

In view of this observation, the international community's duty is clear. During the past decade, it has been possible to put together a set of objectives and principles for guiding our action in support of a development we want to be sustainable. These principles can be supplemented, but they must, above all, be implemented.

In this context, the central issue today is that of responsibility and resources.

Responsibility, in this field, lies first with the countries of the South. The Monterrey Conference clearly affirmed this: prime responsibility for development rests with the developing countries themselves. The corollary of such responsibility is the imperative of solidarity. We, the developed countries, cannot turn a blind eye to the injustices of the South and must engage fully in the international partnership for development.

Progress has been made in this dual area of responsibility and resources.

NEPAD/AU

I wish, in particular, to pay tribute to the African countries which have launched, through NEPAD and in the framework of the African Union, far-reaching reforms relating to governance, strengthening the rule of law and the economic framework. Peer review is the most enduring symbol of this.

ODA/DEBT/INNOVATIVE FINANCING MECHANISMS

For their part, the developed countries have taken the measure of the challenges involved and engaged in this partnership for development. Increased official development assistance and the decisions which are soon to be taken by the G8 on debt cancellation for the poorest countries are a sign of this. But there is still a long way to go.

France intends to play an active role in this solidarity-based partnership to guarantee the integration of the poorest. She has made public a timeframe for reaching the development assistance objective of 0.7% of GDP by 2012. She has initiated, together with her partners from the now enlarged Quadripartite Group, international debates on innovative sources of development financing and this September intends to launch a pilot project of a solidarity contribution levied on plane tickets, in order to give concrete expression as soon as possible to the hopes raised by this initiative of President Jacques Chirac.

UNEP/UNEO

The essential ways of achieving the goals set by the international community also include the organizational framework for action. Regarding the environment, France shares the United Nations Secretary-General's view that there is today a lack of coherence, harmful to both the global environment and development. So we are convinced of the need for a more integrated structure for environmental issues, built on existing institutions. In this respect, 26 countries have, within an informal working group, come up with the same observations as the Secretary-General. The group also looked at the added value achievable through the scheduled transformation of the United Nations Environment Programme into a United Nations Environment Organization.

France welcomes the fact that the idea of a UNEO is supported by a growing number of States. The European Union supports it, as have the Francophone States since last November's Ouagadougou summit. Many countries from every continent have also shown their support.

The September summit is a crucial opportunity to launch a discussion at the UN on this essential subject. It is up to us to grasp it.

ECOSOC

All in all, the current ECOSOC session is undoubtedly a fundamental stage in the assessment of our commitments.

But how are we to ensure this year's momentum will be followed up?

ECOSOC must play its full role in meeting this challenge of the future. Interesting proposals for reform were put forward in his report by the Secretary-General and more recently by the Chairman of the Economic and Social Council. These are constructive ideas, particularly that of giving ECOSOC back its role of coordinating the United Nations' economic and social sector by bolstering its analysis and "think-tank" role and its task of assessing and monitoring implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

On this basis, a renewed ECOSOC, fully suited to its mandate under the Charter, will be the instrument for coordination and reflection in order to promote dialogue serving sustainable development.

To conclude, I hope that our debates this year can contribute to the revitalization of the United Nations, and strengthen the determination of all to work for sustainable development./.