Secretary-General calls for greater international cooperation and solidarity

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for greater collective action as he marked International Solidarity Day during a year when the global financial and economic crisis may have pushed as many as 100 million people into poverty, and as the world faces challenges stemming from climate change to food insecurity.

“Solidarity with people affected by poverty and oppression is one of the founding principles of the United Nations,” the Secretary-General said in a message released yesterday, when the Day is observed. “Based on equality, inclusion and social justice, solidarity implies a mutual obligation among all members of society and across the global community.”

The Secretary-General called for greater partnerships and cooperation among all development actors, including government, intergovernmental organizations, civil society and the private sector.

He noted that Solidarity Day is rooted in the declarations adopted at the Millennium Summit in 2000 in which governments include solidarity as a fundamental value essential to international relations.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General called on Saturday for greater South-South and North-South cooperation. The theme of this year’s International Day for South-South Cooperation, observed on 19 December, was “Innovative Solutions through Inclusive Partnerships,” meant to highlight the need for stronger alliances and coalitions.

The Secretary-General noted that two weeks ago in Nairobi, at the High-Level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation, Member States renewed their commitment to pursuing more inclusive avenues for development cooperation.

“I encourage the countries of the South to deepen their cooperation, and I urge the North to support those efforts,” he said. “But there need to be more North-South partnerships, too. South-South cooperation should not be seen as a substitute for North-South cooperation, but complementary to it.”