Secretary-General: Press Conference

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an intensified focus on priorities, political will and partnership to achieve the Millennium Development Goals this morning, as he launched a report that showed a mix of progress and obstacles in reaching the anti-poverty targets. “This report shows that economic uncertainty cannot be an excuse to slow down our development efforts. It is a reason to speed them up,” he said, introducing the major findings of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2010.

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s press conference held in New York today, 24 May:

A global effort to scale up investment in clean, efficient energy and bring affordable energy services to the 1.6 billion people worldwide currently lacking them would go a long way towards stopping climate change and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

Urging reporters in New York to “keep the focus on Haiti”, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today said that “although commendable progress has been made, the situation remains dire” three months after the massive earthquake that killed nearly 250,000 people, left 1 million others homeless and levelled the capital, Port-au-Prince.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a Headquarters press conference today at the conclusion of the one-day International Donors’ Conference for Haiti aimed at securing financial resources for the earthquake-stricken country’s recovery that the friends of Haiti had acted far beyond expectations.

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s press conference held in New York today, 16 March:

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s press conference held in New York today, 14 December 2009:

Stevie Wonder, the popular singer and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, promised to use his creative talents in support of the United Nations mission and persons with disabilities during a press conference at Headquarters today.

Up to 70 per cent of women at some point in their lifetime experienced physical or sexual violence by men, most from someone they knew, which meant that men had a crucial role in ending such abuse -- as fathers, friends and decision-makers, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today at a Headquarters press briefing, following the launch of a major initiative to engage politicians, activists, religious and community figures in that charge.

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at a press conference on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, held today, 24 November: