He said this responding to the keynote address by former Polish president and Nobel laureate Lech Walesa at the Celebration of the International Day of Global Solidarity at the United Nations on Friday.

He said the contemporary age is different from all others because today we believe that the pains of some must be removed by the efforts of all. Developing countries must be in charge of their own destiny, but the international community must provide the appropriate global framework and support, when needed, he added.

In his view the experience of Bangladesh was that "simple ideas often bring about the profoundest of changes."

He mentioned micro-credit and women's non-formal education in this respect and cited the contribution of yet another Nobel laureate, Prof Muhammad Yunus, in this regard. President of ECOSOC Ali Hachani and Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Jose Antonio Ocampo also spoke.