16 December 2013: Addressing the UN press corps in an end-of-year news conference on 16 December 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said 2014 will be “crucial for development,” and offered his vision for the Climate Change Summit he will convene.

Ban reiterated the need to accelerate efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the end of 2015, especially on lagging goals like sanitation and maternal health. He said “intensified discussions” would be needed in order to agree on a new development agenda and set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On climate change, he said reaching an agreement in 2015 will require “heavy lifting in 2014.” Regarding his Climate Change Summit on 23 September 2014, Ban said he wants it to be “a solutions summit on the road to the climate action the world so urgently needs.” [UN Press Release] [News Conference Transcript]