society and citizens of developing countries could outside assistance be effective. The structure of aid was also critical to its effectiveness. The High-level Dialogue was an extremely important element in the lead-up to September, an occasion to reconfirm commitment to the Monterrey Consensus, to review the progress to date in its implementation and to ensure the widest possible commitment to taking the process forward in the future.

HEIDEMARIE WIECZOREK-ZEUL, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, described poverty as a dangerous weapon of mass destruction, which all nations must fight. It was obscene that global spending on armaments had reached a far larger sum than total investments in development assistance. Countries must shift their priorities towards development and poverty reduction, which would go a long way towards reducingviolence and establishing peace as the law of human life.

Germany had adopted the development assistance timetable of the European Union, which would increase ODA to 0.7 of GDP by 2015, she said. Her country also supported multilateral debt relief for highly indebted poor countries agreed to by the Group of 8. The international community should also to seek innovative financing instruments, such as international taxes or charges on aviation fuel. Adding that global public goods were being exploited, with some countries taking no responsibility for their use, she said all must shoulder their shared responsibilities.

In addition, she stressed the need to eliminate unjust cotton subsidies, which would allow 12 million people in West Africa to provide their own incomes. The international community must also put an end to