13 October 2008: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called
for “deep and systemic” reforms based on inclusive multilateralism for a global
financial system that can better meet the challenges of the 21st century.

He
welcomed the initiatives by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
to provide new emergency liquidity provisioning to poor countries, but stressed
that “more needs to be done.” He highlighted the need for the UN to consider
“urgent multilateral action to alleviate the impact of recent events on the
development agenda of the Organization,” from the implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals to the food and energy crises, as well as the
challenge of climate change.
He stated that the Financing for Development
Conference next month in Doha provides an important opportunity to review
developments and to ensure that the current financial crisis does not undermine
existing commitments to achieve internationally agreed development goals. [The Statement]