25 September 2012: During the opening of the High-level Debate of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNGA President Vuk Jeremić both called for the implementation of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) agenda, noting efforts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda.

In his address to the UNGA, Secretary-General Ban highlighted the role of partnerships in delivering results, and called for intensifying efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Stating that “we still have a long way to go,” Ban pointed to the role of Rio+20 in charting the way forward, including agreement to develop the SDGs and define a post-2015 development agenda. He said the development of the SDGs could inspire action for mobilizing sustainable development across the world.

Vuk Jeremić, UNGA President, identified sustainable development as “one of the most important conflict prevention resources,” noting the increasing relevance of sustainable development to the global peace and security agenda. He expressed his commitment to work towards achieving the MDGs and to focus on the post-2015 agenda. Jeremić recalled the UNGA’s mandate to establish a working group to propose SDGs for consideration and adoption by the plenary, and to launch a High Level Forum at the next UNGA Session. He further stated his intention to establish an intergovernmental process to propose options on an effective financing strategy to ensure implementation of the Rio+20 agenda. [UNGA 67 High-level Debate Website]