By KUNA
United Nations : Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Friday said the Group of 77 and China play an “indispensable” role in achieving “our shared goals” and vowed to do “everything in my power” to consolidate “our good collaborative relationship.”
Addressing the group’s chairmanship handover ceremony from Pakistan to Antigua and Barbuda, Ban said a number of current trends such as rising oil prices and the credit crunch pose fresh challenges to our development efforts.
“Uncertainties are pointing to a slower growth of the world economy in 2008. This would adversely affect the growth of developing economies and hamper progress towards our development goals. We must act collectively to avert such a slow down,” he told the economic group that now contains over one hundred members.
He stressed that the UN development agenda is “as important” as the Organisation’s work in peace and human rights and that “Development should not be a privilege of the few, but a right for all.” He said strong economic growth in recent years has put many developing countries in a better position to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and slash a host of social ills by half by the target date of 2015. He conceded, however, that “much more needs to be done in the next seven years if we are to win our race to the goals on time.” He said he will convene a high-level meeting on the MDGs next September to find ways to bridge the implementation gap.
In 2008, he added, he will continue his efforts to put the UN on a new track so that it can better meet the daunting challenges ahead – by moving forward with reform, by delivering more effectively on development, by taking action on climate change and on the other issues inscribed on the UN agenda.