In his 1 April 2008 address to the UN General Assembly’s thematic debate on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that “development progress is gravely threatened by the effects of climate change and other major environmental challenges.” He highlighted that changes in our natural environment “can have adverse impacts on economic and social development,” and emphasized developing countries’ need for “additional assistance and resources to support their adaptation efforts,” given their limited technological and financial resources.

Secretary-General Ban noted that he will, together with the President of the UN General Assembly, convene a special high-level event on the MDGs on 25 September in New York, and anticipated that this meeting will “send a strong message that Governments are ready to rise to the financing for development challenge.”
31 March: In a video message to the first Joint Meeting of AU/ECA Ministers of Finance, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Economic Commission for Africa, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted that, over the past 50 years, the ECA has fulfilled its mandate of promoting Africa’s social and economic development and has “addressed challenges ranging from the Millennium Development Goals to climate change, from women’s empowerment to job creation, from governance to HIV/AIDS.” Secretary-General Ban added that, “together, by stepping up efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals throughout the continent, we can and must make the 21st century the African century.”
31 March: In a video message to the Bangkok Climate Change Talks, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized to participants that “The world is waiting for a solution that is long term and economically viable. A solution based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. A solution that strikes the delicate balance between globally inclusive action and the need to eradicate poverty. A solution that advances green economic growth, including in developing countries, and sufficiently-funded, large-scale adaptation measures.”
Remarks at the General Assembly thematic debate on the Millennium Development Goals
Addis Ababa, 31 March 2008 – Secretary-General’s Video Message to Meeting of AU-ECA Ministers of Finance Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Economic Commission for Africa
Bangkok, 31 March 2008 – Secretary-General’s Video Message to the Opening of the Bangkok Climate Change Talks