UN General Assembly
2008

economic growth is a world responsibility that concerns us all. The Millennium Development Goals must remain our main guiding principle. The Follow- up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, which will take place in Doha at the end of this year, will be an important moment. The developed countries must do more, and I reiterate Belgium’s determination to achieve the objective of devoting 0.7 per cent of its gross domestic product to official development assistance by 2010. However, this is a shared responsibility, which first and foremost falls to the Governments of the countries involved. That is why Belgium will continue to work actively in promoting the concept of good governance. In that regard, the issue of natural resources is particularly important to me. It is not a matter of calling into question the sovereignty of any country. But sovereignty also carries with it responsibilities — indeed, responsibilities first and foremost. Natural resources may be a driving force of development to draw populations out of poverty if their exploitation is