16 June 2009: In a video message to the High-Level Dialogue: Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific, which was organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, the Philippines, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled that 2009 is the year of climate change and listed its impacts in the Asian region, including shrinking glaciers that threaten water supplies and food security, rising sea levels, desertification and land degradation.

The Secretary-General called for a new climate agreement to be sealed in Copenhagen, noting it must address the impacts and causes of climate change, and stressed the need to de-link economic growth from growth in greenhouse gas emissions. In conclusion, he called for a Global Green New Deal and for the involvement of the countries of Asia and the Pacific in the long-term solution. [Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Statement]