Secretary-General urges G20 to focus on sustainable recovery

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) countries, urging them to continue their efforts to sustain economic recovery and to lay the foundations for more inclusive, resilient and green growth, a United Nations spokesperson told reporters today.

Writing a week before the next meeting of the group of major industrialized and developed nations countries in Seoul, which he plans to attend, the Secretary-General said he had held consultations on development with Member States. While there were divergences within the G20 on some issues, all countries agreed that it was important not to let the recovery falter at this stage. The world’s poor would again have to pay an unacceptable price.

He urged leaders to continue to focus on a sustainable recovery, including through efforts to deliver the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of poverty reduction and social development targets with a 2015 deadline.

The Secretary-General stressed in the letter that G20 nations can contribute to development by addressing vulnerabilities as they emerge; dealing with climate change directly; and addressing food and nutrition security comprehensively.

He said that, as the MDG Summit had proven, countries can and must pull together to ensure a more secure, prosperous and equitable world for all.