Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday called for joint efforts from governments around the world to realize the goals set in the Millennium Declaration.

"Counting from today, we have only seven years to go before the end of 2015 to reach the goals" of halving the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day, and "no more than 12 years before the end of 2020" to significantly improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, Wen said in his speech at the United Nations high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"I hope that we, leaders present today, will join hands to shoulder greater responsibilities as statesmen and pay closer attention to and show more compassion for the poor regions and people in the world," he said.

Wen emphasized the importance for governments to give top priority to development. The first and foremost development goal should be economic, with educational, cultural and social development also being high on the agenda, he said.

He urged respect for the right of all countries to choose their own development paths suited to their national conditions, and called for efforts to resolve regional conflicts and ethnic strife through peaceful means.

On international assistance in eliminating poverty, Wen said developed countries in particular should assume the responsibility of helping underdeveloped countries.

"Assistance should be provided selflessly, with no strings attached. It is particularly important to increase assistance for least developed countries and regions," he said.

Wen proposed that donor countries double their donations to the World Food Programme in the next five years and that the international community do more to cancel or reduce debts owed by least developed countries and provides zero-tariff treatment to their exports.

Efforts should also be made to improve the working mechanisms for the development goals in the Millennium Declaration and coordinate the functions of international organizations to jointly overcome the difficulties facing developing countries, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2008)