10 May 2012: At the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordination Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser called on NAM members to support their initiatives ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), as well as a strong outcome for the Conference.

In his statement to the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Ban credited NAM with some of the UN’s “most important achievements” including decolonization and the emergence of a global social development agenda. He stressed that an ambitious outcome from the UNCSD could have a positive impact on millions of people in NAM countries and beyond. Ban called for several specific elements in the outcome, including: agreement to launch a process to establish sustainable development goals (SDGs) building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); progress on sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL), management and protection of oceans, cleaner water, more liveable cities, and empowerment of women and youth; clear direction for enhancing the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD); and concrete progress to “harness the power of partnership” to these ends.

Al-Nasser asked for the Movement’s support for his upcoming activities, including the high-level debate on the state of the international economy, taking place from 17-18 May 2012, and the high-level debate on preparations for the UNCSD, taking place on 22 May.

The Ministerial Meeting is part of the preparatory process for the forthcoming summit of Heads of State and Government of NAM, taking place in Tehran, Iran, in August 2012. [Statement of UN Secretary-General] [Statement of UN General Assembly President]