New Agenda for Development Must Be ‘Tuned’ to Leading Challenges of Decent Jobs,

Inclusive Growth, Governance, Peace, Climate Change, Says Secretary-General

(Delayed in Transmission)

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the Working Dinner Session on “Sustainable Development for All”, at the G20 Saint Petersburg Leaders’ Summit, Konstantinovsky Palace, Throne Hall, 5 September:

Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all.  It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.

To achieve these goals, we must take immediate action on three interrelated imperatives:  accelerating progress on the Millennium Development Goals, advancing the global development agenda beyond 2015 and addressing climate change.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have made a profound difference in fighting poverty, tackling disease, enhancing access to education and empowering women.  However, progress has been uneven and insufficient — both within and between countries.  More than 1 billion people still live in extreme poverty.  Unemployment remains high, especially for young people.  Environmental sustainability is under threat, with global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss continuing to accelerate.

We have fewer than 900 days to the MDG deadline.  We must spare no effort to deliver on our commitments.  At the same time, we need to set a more ambitious agenda beyond 2015.

The new agenda should place sustainable development at its core and make the eradication of poverty its top priority.  The new agenda will need a renewed, broad-based global partnership, particularly to mobilize finance and technology.  The new agenda will need to be supported by a single post-2015 UN development framework containing a single set of goals applicable to all countries, but adaptable to different national realities.

Financing needs for sustainable development are enormous.  Official Development Assistance (ODA) and domestic resources remain crucial.  But, I also welcome the G20’s focus on long-term investment financing, including the regulatory environment, incentives and risk sharing to leverage private resources with public funds.

The new agenda must be tuned to the leading challenges we face, including the need for decent jobs, inclusive growth, improved governance, peace, and action on climate change.

The G20 should lead by example.  Climate change is threatening the health of the planet, endangering lives and livelihoods across the world.

We must raise the level of our collective ambition to close the emissions gap and hold the global temperature increase below 2˚C.

I will convene a climate change summit at the United Nations in September 2014 to mobilize political will for a universal and legally binding comprehensive agreement in 2015.  I invite you to take part in this vital gathering next September, one year from now.

Finally, I would like to thank President [Susilo Bambang] Yudhoyono ( Indonesia), Prime Minister [David] Cameron ( United Kingdom) and President [Ellen Johnson] Sirleaf ( Liberia) for their visionary recommendations for sustainable development. I count on the contribution of the G20 leaders to the realization of sustainable development for all.

Bolshoye spasibo.  Thank you.

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For information media • not an official record