Investing in Sustainable Development Not Only about Money, Stresses Secretary-General in Message for European Green Week

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for European Green Week, 30 May to 3 June:

I congratulate the organizers and European Union member States for this year’s European Green Week.  This is the biggest annual conference on European environment policy.  I welcome your focus on “investing for a greener future”.

Investing in sustainable development is not only a matter of money.  It is about collaboration among all sectors of society.  It is about transforming our economies to promote dynamism and equity.  It is about delivering on the global vision of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, our blueprint for a safer, better future on a healthy planet.

I thank you for your commitment to leaving no one behind, and for your leadership in building a world of dignity and opportunity for all.

I also welcome today’s final event, organized by the Austrian Environment Ministry and UNEP [United Nations Environment Programme] Europe, which brings together policymakers and young people.  I am happy to know that you are inaugurating an [Sustainable Development Goals] alley at the heart of the United Nations headquarters in Vienna.  The 17 trees symbolize cultural and biological diversity and our shared commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

May they thrive for years and generations to come.