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)