Secretary-General, in Message to Astana Economic Forum, Urges Renewed Efforts

to Sustain Economic Recovery, Generate Decent Jobs

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to the Astana Economic Forum and World Anti-Crisis Conference being held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 22 to 24 May:

I am pleased to send greetings to the VI Astana Economic Forum and World Anti-Crisis Conference.  In bringing together global business leaders with high-level representatives from Government, academia, media and culture, this Forum is an important platform to forge a common policy agenda for inclusive and equitable growth.

You meet at a time of continued global economic uncertainty.  Widespread unemployment, growing inequalities, banking fragility and sovereign debt problems threaten the modest global economic recovery.  Recent experience underscores the continuing need for coordinated action to reduce international financial-market volatility and the risk of future crises.  We must make renewed efforts to sustain economic recovery and generate decent jobs, especially for women and youth.  Global economic governance structures should also better reflect the voices of developing countries in the world economy.

We are less than 1,000 days to the deadline for the largest and most-successful anti-poverty push in history, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  Now is the time to build on progress and accelerate our efforts to reach all the MDG targets.

At the same time, the UN is supporting Member States in their work to define a post-2015 development agenda and a new set of goals for sustainable development.  Defining and implementing such a framework will require your active engagement.  I encourage you to use this Forum as an opportunity to help us build the world we want.

I wish you a productive meeting.

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For information media • not an official record