17 November 2008: On 14 and 15 November 2008, UN
Secretary-General was in Washington, DC, US, to take part in the Group of 20
(G20) Financial Summit. In a statement to the assembled leaders, Ban Ki-moon
stated that “today’s financial crisis should not evolve into tomorrow’s human
crisis,” adding that leaders should not use it to justify neglecting other
critical issues such as poverty and hunger, the food crisis, and climate
change.

Noting the need for a global stimulus package, he underlined that the
emerging “green economy” should be a key component in the stimulus plan and
environmentally-friendly renewable energy has the potential to create millions
of jobs and spur growth. In concluding, he stressed the importance of reaching
a climate change agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark, underlining that “the sooner
we have a climate change agreement, the sooner we will see the green
investments and green growth we so badly need.”
In a statement following the
Summit and welcoming its Final Declaration, which committed leaders to joint action,
Ban expressed appreciation for the Declaration’s commitment to: continued
cooperation and multilateralism; the Millennium Development Goals and
development assistance commitments previously made; the development principles
agreed at the conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey in 2002; and
addressing other critical challenges, such as energy security and climate
change, food security, the rule of law, and the fight against terrorism,
poverty and disease.
He cited the opportunity to promote green economic
development as part of the fiscal stimulus, for example with support for
renewable energy, conversion to more carbon-friendly systems and investing in
climate change adaptation measures in the most vulnerable developing economies.
[UN Secretary-General’s
Statement] [UN Press
Release]