Ban noted the launch of “crucially important decisions” on the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2012, and said the UN would press harder toward progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the 2015 deadline approaches.
He added that the Doha Climate Change Conference had delivered what was needed to "keep us on track" for 2015.
19 December 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave a press conference reflecting on the year’s work, in New York, US, on 19 December 2012. He said the UN has helped to lay foundations for progress on sustainable development, the “top challenge” of the 21st century, including through the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
Ban noted the launch of “crucially important decisions” on the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2012, and said the UN would press harder toward progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the 2015 deadline approaches. Citing the newly released economic outlook, Ban said the global economy must protect and invest in the world’s poorest people and nations.
Recalling the Doha Climate Change Conference in November 2012, Ban said it had “delivered what we need to keep us on track for a legally binding global agreement by 2015.” Because the negotiations will be very difficult, he said, he intends to “bring world leaders together in 2014.” [Transcript of Press Conference] [UN Press Release]