Secretary-General Addresses 2015 World Economic Forum. UN Photo/Mark Garten
23 January 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to maintain their focus on a broad range of climate, development and gender equality issues, warning that as the global community continues to face multiple crises, the new year must be a time for 'strong commitment' from international stakeholders.
"2015 is a year of global action," Mr. Ban declared in the first of a series of remarks delivered earlier today.
"With the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, with a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and a universal and meaningful climate change agreement by December this year in Paris, I think we can set our lives, our world, on course for a better future."
Mr. Ban is currently in Davos to push the United Nations agenda for 2015 which is set to be a critical year for the Organization and its member States as they confront the imminent deadline for achievement of the landmark Millennium Development Goal (MDG), and work to achieve a meaningful global agreement at the end-of-year Paris climate conference.
In a separate MDG meeting with advocates also held today, the Secretary-General underscored the importance of delineating a credible sustainable development goal strategy to pick up where the MDG's leave off, adding that Member States would need to devise "very robust, visionary, and ambitious targets" in order to finalize the Millennium targets stated hope of ending poverty.
"The most important priority is that these goals should be people-centred, planet sensitive and climate friendly," he continued. "People should be at the centre of our vision. That's what I'm asking you to continue to do," he told delegates.
Against that backdrop, Mr. Ban also emphasized that future gains would depend on making advances in achieving gender parity as he drew particular attention to the ongoing UN Women-led HeForSh campaign.
"The Millennium Development Goals recognized that gender equality and women's empowerment are essential to tackling poverty, hunger and other global problems," he explained.
"HeForShe has signed up fathers who want to raise empowered daughters. Leaders who know their societies will be stronger when there are as many women in parliament and in business as men. And ordinary people who are fed up with violence and discrimination against women - and want to be part of a global force for change."
More to come ...
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