‘Good Progress’ on Millennium Development Goals, Secretary-General Tells Economic Summit, Recommending Transfer of Unmet Targets to New Agenda

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remarks at the meeting of Millennium Development Goal Advocates on Investing in Resilience:  New Power Paradigms and Change Agents Partnerships to Build Resilience in Vulnerable Communities, in Davos, Switzerland, today:

Thank you, Mr. [Fareed] Zakaria, for taking this important role today to energize our strong commitment for development where we can work to make this world better for all.

I thank Kathy Calvin, the President of the UN Foundation, for organizing this [meeting], and I am very much grateful for the participation of dear excellencies, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, and also Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of Sweden, and many distinguished MDG [Millennium Development Goal] advocates, who have been working tirelessly.

Without any further illustrations, we are facing multiple crises these days.  We are living in a very troubled world - geopolitical, social, economic and environmental [challenges].  Among all these conflicts, what should we do?

Often I am asked by many journalists, my friends:  what kind of legacy are you going to leave as Secretary-General of the United Nations?  This is very easy to ask, very difficult to answer.

But, this is not going to be my whole legacy — I'm working to serve the people of the world, and I think if there is going to be any legacy which I am going to leave behind after two years, it will be the legacy of you, all of us.

Particularly, I would like to highly commend the leadership and commitment of our distinguished MDG Advocates.  I have been really pushing and raising awareness and energizing the political will of Government leaders, business community leaders and civil society leaders.  This tripartite partnership has been working hard.

I can tell you what kind of legacy we should leave at this time.  I think you should be very proud when you will be asked by 2030 when will have finished, completed the sustainable development goals — then [you can say] I was there, I was one of them.  I was one of the Millennium Development Goals Advocates and I was one of the [pushers behind] the MDGs and leading to the sustainable development goals.

That will be our common legacy.  That may be different, depending on who you are, but even small contributions, which we have been making, by each and every one of you, will be very important.  That's what I'm asking you to continue to do.

We have three priorities, as Thomas Gass has just elaborated.

First, we have to do all that we can do until the end of this year to meet and realize as much as we can these eight Millennium Development Goals.  Practically speaking, we may not be able to achieve them.  There are some [Goals] on which have made good progress.  The MDGs, I think, are one of the most successful visions and programmes which we have established, launched, to end poverty, and I think we have made good progress.

Whatever has not been fulfilled, we have to carry over to the sustainable development goals.  Member States have already started their inter-governmental negotiations.  I am sure that they will come up with very robust and visionary and ambitious targets.  We have still a provisional 17 goals, covering all three dimensions of socioeconomic and environmental areas.

The most important threat and priority is that these goals should be people-centred and planet sensitive and climate friendly.  [People] should be at the centre and first for our vision.  That's what I'm asking you to continue to do.

By the end of this year in Paris, we have to have a global, very meaningful, robust climate change agreement.  During the last 20 years, without knowing much [about] how much we have been impacted by climate change, we've been talking — all the time talking, talking — without agreeing.  Now, this is high time — we do not have any time to waste, we have to agree, on this climate change agreement in September.

The IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] has made it quite clear.  I launched the fifth assessment report of the IPCC last year in Copenhagen.  Scientists have said that to have global temperature rise below 2°C, we have wasted our time.  Time is very much limited, but still, if we take very visionary and firm actions, it may not be too late.  That may be our last chance.

Therefore, what I am emphasizing is that we are the first generation to be able to see the end of poverty.  Then we may be the last generation to tackle this climate change phenomenon.

We have to mobilize all resources.

First, I am asking world leaders sitting here — you have to demonstrate political leadership.  I think that this the way that you can guide people.

Second, we have to mobilize all financial and technological resources.

And thirdly, we have to have a clear purpose among Governments, the private sector and civil society, working together.  Then, we can put our planet earth on a sustainable path and leaving our succeeding generations a planet earth hospitable, environmentally sustainable.

That's our target, that's our priority for this year and the coming 15 years.

Of course, after two years, my successor will come and take [over] and of course I am sure that you will continue to be committed, together with the United Nations, and I count on your leadership.  Thank you very much.