15 December 2008: Speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly on the “follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit: specific meeting focused on development,” taking place in New York, US, on 15 December 2008, UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro warned that the food, fuel and financial crises threaten to undo poverty reduction efforts.

She underlined that while dealing with these crises, “the threat of
climate change is also upon us,” and stressed that attention should not
be deflected “from tackling this challenging problem.” She noted
advancements in establishing sustainable development as a primary
objective, highlighting that climate change is a widely acknowledged
challenge. She called for the successful conclusion of the Doha Round
of trade negotiations and access to clean technologies to enable
development without exacerbating climate change. [UN Press Release]