At a high-level event in Durban on climate financing, the Secretary-General said there was a long way to go towards mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020. The challenge now was getting a scaled-up climate finance system up and running.
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At the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, the Secretary-General said we must be realistic about expectations for a breakthrough. But he said he expects advances, starting with implementing Cancún agreements and progress on short- and long-term financing.
At the conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, Germany, the Secretary-General acknowledged that the challenges ahead for the country are large, but stressed that we will not be deterred. He said the United Nations will be there for Afghanistan. It was there well before 2001 and will be there far beyond 2014.
Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, the Secretary-General said we are at a decisive moment in history. As calls for change echo across the world, we cannot take refuge in silence. Leaders must respond to the demands of people who seek to build their own future.
The Chef de Cabinet announced that as the Secretary-General embarks on his second term, he is keen to ensure the right mix of change and continuity in the senior leadership team, balancing the need to bring a fresh perspective to addressing the major challenges with the need to maintain continuity of purpose and priorities.
At the opening session of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, in Busan, Republic of Korea, the Secretary-General said cutting aid would not balance budgets, but it would hurt the most vulnerable. He urged new and emerging donors to contribute more and recipients to set clear priorities and strategies.
In his message for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Secretary-General said the need to resolve the conflict has taken on greater urgency with the historic transformations in the region. Such a solution must end the occupation that began in 1967, and meet legitimate security concerns.
The Secretary-General is travelling to Busan, Republic of Korea, to participate in the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. The Forum is an important element in the discussions around the emerging aid architecture leading up to 2015, the deadline year for the Millennium Development Goals.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallstrom, travelling in West Africa, called on people to stand in solidarity with the survivors of such violence, who have lived through unspeakable horrors.
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of the formation of the new Libyan Interim Government, and extends his congratulations to Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib and members of his Cabinet. He wishes the new Interim Government every success in addressing the numerous challenges facing Libya in this transitional period.