5 October 2010: In a message to the International Meeting of High Representatives on Security Issues, delivered on his behalf by Yury Fedotov, Executive Director, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed some of the most urgent threats to security and sustainable development facing the world today, including climate change.

He underlined the broadened understanding of what constitutes a security threat, including hunger, pandemics, extreme poverty, and climate change. He stressed that, at present trends, climate change will lead to more frequent and extreme weather events and disasters, adding that they “may not strike with the concentrated force of an earthquake, yet they spill across borders, tear societies apart, and promote insecurity.” Ban underscored the importance of international cooperation in order to deal comprehensively with these threats. The International Meeting took place in Sochi, Russian Federation, from 5-6 October 2010. [Ban’s Statement] [UN Press Release]