UN General Assembly
2006

service, it is with a sincere sense of pride that I say to him as an African compatriot, “Mr. Secretary-General, mission accomplished”. Last year, in this very Hall, we renewed our commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. To be sure, since that time, some praiseworthy initiatives have occurred along the way, especially with measures to erase the multilateral debt of 18 least developed countries (LDCs) and to establish a levy on air tickets as a source of financing for development. I salute the efforts made by President Jacques Chirac of France and by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil for their promotion of this innovative mechanism to mobilize resources. The problem of debt, however, in particular the debt of our continent, remains a hindrance to our development. In reality, the first question we should be asking ourselves, and which we do ask in Africa, 5 06-53005 regards the evaluation of the debt: to take a look at the overindebtedness of Africa, to see exactly how much