Former French President Jacques Chirac on Saturday spoke out against the declining levels of Official Development Assistance (ODA), at the same time calling for strengthened global efforts to reverse the "worrying trend," the French media has reported.
The current ODA situation, according to the former president, is not only worrying but "totally unjustified" and must be "rectified urgently."
"The Official Development Assistance is falling, which is totally unjustified and must be redressed urgently," said Chirac, who was succeeded by President Nicolas Sarkozy at the helm of the French republic early last year.
According to the former president, this aid is an essential element, in both moral and political terms, as it contributed to the creation of "a more balanced planet."
"We need these resources to boost development efforts or fight against the most disastrous consequences of underdevelopment around the world," said Chirac, who was speaking during a live radio interview.
Recalling that his idea of a special tax on airline tickets had been implemented successfully in a number of countries, the former head of state said that "the momentum had been created" and tha twhat was needed now "is to push forward with ongoing efforts." "One can imagine a lot of things," says Chirac, citing Unitaid, an international financial facility for purchasing medicines for poor countries that he helped create in September 2006 during a United Nations general assembly.
"I will continue to reflect and make proposals," said the former president, noting that this was one of the roles of the "Chirac Foundation" whose official launch is scheduled to take place on June 9.
On the question of "how are you doing?" The 75 year old former president, who is set to celebrate the first anniversary since he stepped down as president on Saturday, said that "I am not a man who dwells on the past. I try to look at future prospects and hence I'm always doing as fine as can be expected."
Source: Xinhua
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