UN General Assembly
1997

the action taken by Africa in particular to raise the standard of living of African peoples. But this need for solidarity should not cause us to forget that any effort towards sustainable development is, above all, the national responsibility of States. It requires the definition and effective application of sound macroeconomic policies based on transparency, the rule of law, the practice of democracy, respect for human rights, social justice and the participation of all in the national development effort: in other words, it is based on what we today call good governance. As my country sees it, this choice, which must be supplemented by solidarity at the global level, is the most certain course towards the shared ideal assigned to us by the Charter of the United Nations. By enshrining in our Charter their attachment to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the founding fathers of the United Nations inspired millions of men and women to take what His Holiness Pope John Paul II called two years ago “the risk of freedom”. Their