Washington, Sep 4 (IANS/WAM): At a time of intense fiscal and budgetary constraint, charity takes on greater importance in global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.

On the eve of International Day of Charity, he gave a call for people everywhere to "act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being - to start giving and to keep on giving".

The MDGs include issues like eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.

In a statement, Ban welcomed the second observance of the International Day of Charity, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly "at the initiative of the Permanent Mission of Hungary, to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa whose life and good works for some of the human family's poorest and most vulnerable members has been such an enormous inspiration".

He said charity plays "a significant role" in the work of the UN and its agencies. "Whatever the case, such generosity and kindness, with no expectation of financial gain, can make profound differences in human well-being."

"At times of intense fiscal and budgetary constraint, charity takes on greater importance in global efforts...and implement what we hope will be an ambitious post-2015 agenda," the statement said.

"Let us recognise charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition. On this International Day, I call on people everywhere to act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being - to start giving and to keep on giving," the UN chief added.