29 July 2008: In a message to the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned
Movement in Tehran, Iran, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged a successful
conclusion to climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009, noting that progress towards
the Millennium Development Goals and ensuring food security have been severely
undermined by the climate crisis.

In a statement delivered on 29 July by Sergei Ordzhonikidze,
Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Secretary-General
also noted that the Bali Road Map agreed in December 2007 was an important step
forward. “We must look now to build on that achievement with concrete outcomes
from the Poznan meeting later this year. Also by the end of this year, we must
have a fully financed and operational Adaptation Fund,” he said. The
Secretary-General further expressed his commitment to “continue to work with
leaders of all countries to ensure a successful climate change agreement, under
the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention, by the end of 2009.” [Secretary-General’s
Statement, 29 July 2008]