Secretary-General, at Group of 77 and China Ministerial Meeting,

 

Spells out Priorities for Five-Year Push to 2015

 

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the Annual Ministerial Meeting of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, in New York today, 28 September:

It is a great pleasure and honour for me to join you this morning.

I extend my appreciation to the Republic of Yemen for its able leadership of the Group of 77 and China.  I extend most sincerely my warmest congratulations to Her Excellency President Cristina Fernández, President of the Argentine Republic, for taking on this responsibility in 2011.

I want to thank all of you for helping to make this such a productive period for the United Nations.  Last week, we concluded a successful summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  Your active participation was crucial, and I very much appreciate it.  At the same time, the summit helped send a number of important messages as we enter the five-year push to 2015.

Let me highlight just a few points.  First, donors must deliver on their commitments.  The summit statement of the G-77 and China put it well, I quote: “It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that no country will fall short of the MDGs simply because of lack of resources.  We must be fully committed to assist those countries that are lagging behind, especially the least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and the small island developing States, as well as Africa.”

Second, development policies need to be streamlined and better coordinated.  As we do so, we must focus on the poorest and most vulnerable populations.  We must also do more to share best practices.

Third, policy coordination among South-South partners is increasingly important.  Regional and subregional organizations have made good strides in this area, but more work is needed.

Fourth, we need to emphasize common sense strategic investments.  That is why I launched the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health — backed by more than $40 billion in resources and many ambitious pledges.  This is a linchpin to advancing all of the Millennium Development Goals.

Fifth, unemployment and underemployment remain major concerns.  Fiscal policies should be focused on growth that generates decent jobs and opportunity for people.  One major area for expansion is renewable energy initiatives.

In a larger sense, active engagement of the G-77 is critical on sustainable development issues.  Last week, I launched the Global Sustainability Panel, co-chaired by President [Jacob] Zuma of South Africa and President [Tarja] Halonen of Finland.  I have asked the Panel to connect the dots between key issues — energy, food, water, environmental pressure and climate change.

In the short term, I count on your support in setting a clear, strong agenda for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 — also called Rio+20.  We need your continued help on creating a new vision for biodiversity preservation — and preventing deforestation.

Finally, G-77 leadership is critical when it comes to reaffirming the role of the United Nations in global governance.  I am glad to see that this theme is central to the sixty-fifth General Assembly, and I thank the leadership and vision of the President of the General Assembly.

Nothing matches the legitimacy and global presence of the United Nations.  We have the widest membership and can ensure that the smallest and least powerful nations retain a voice in international rules and decisions.  In that regard I am very encouraged that, through our meeting this morning with President Fernandez, she again reaffirmed her strong commitment to the importance of multilateralism.  The United Nations will play a crucially important role in global governance.

But we must continue to keep pace.  That means better coordination and communication.  It means developing stronger tools for analysis and problem-solving.  It means identifying which institution has which comparative advantage.  And it means making our own United Nations bodies more efficient, effective and representative.  This is also true for the Bretton Woods institutions.

The ultimate test is the degree to which, together, we make progress on our shared agenda of peace, development and human rights.  In all of these challenges, the strong leadership of the Group of 77 and China will be crucial.  Your varied experiences, your rich perspectives all combine to enhance our debates and ensure that we build sustainable solutions for all.

I look forward to continuing our close work together with you.

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For information media • not an official record