Intense activity over recent weeks lays foundation for work ahead – Ban Ki-moon

As the United Nations wraps up a period of “active and intense” activity at its New York Headquarters today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sees broad agreement on a number of priority issues as providing a solid basis for important work ahead.

The conclusion of the annual debate of the General Assembly today caps off three weeks of activity that began with a series of high-level meetings convened by Mr. Ban on Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and climate change.

Over the course of the past week, Mr. Ban continued his discussions on these and other priority issues during one-on-one conversations with more than 130 heads of State and government, foreign ministers and permanent representatives.

“Taken together, he believes that we have established a firm foundation for our work during the year ahead,” Mr. Ban’s Spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

The priorities are clear, she stated, from the deployment of peacekeepers to Darfur and attaining an agreement on global warming that all nations can embrace to reinvigorating efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in Africa.

“And of course we will pursue UN reform… so that we can better deliver – more efficiently and effectively – on all that is increasingly expected of us in this era of proportionately diminishing resources,” Ms. Montas stated.

She noted in particular that the climate change meeting, the largest ever gathering of world leaders on the issue, sought to coordinate global efforts to fight global warming under one roof – the UN.

“It is a model of how the Secretary General hopes to continue working closely with Member States and the General Assembly in the future,” Ms. Montas said.