Secretary-General, General Assembly President Announce Convening of High-Level

Thematic Debate on World Economy and Finance in 2012, 17-18 May

Following is a joint statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser:

The President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, and the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, are jointly convening a High-Level Thematic Debate on the State of the World Economy and Finance in 2012, on 17 and 18 May, to explore ways of improving the overall global economic and financial situation and to discuss its impact on development efforts and social processes.

This High-Level Thematic Debate is an important contribution to the consultations mandated by General Assembly resolution 65/313.  At the request of the President of the General Assembly, the consultations have been co-chaired by Ambassador Daniele Bodini, Permanent Representative of San Marino, and Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Permanent Representative of Turkey.

Heads of State and Government, ministers in charge of financial, economic and foreign affairs, as well as senior officials of the relevant international agencies will participate in the High-Level Thematic Debate.  Top officials of Regional Development Banks will also be attending.  Distinguished experts have been invited to provide their technical advice.

The event will consist of four round-table discussions focusing on:  combating unemployment, creating jobs, addressing poverty and social protection; debt sustainability and managing inflation/deflation; creating an environment for increasing production, trade and investment; and increasing stability, predictability and transparency in the global financial system.

This debate will be organized in an informal setting to facilitate an exchange of views among leading policymakers on the state of the world economy.  This should contribute to ongoing international efforts to achieve a sustained, inclusive and equitable recovery of the world economy.  Particular focus will be given to sustainable development, thereby addressing specifically the needs of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

The President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General believe that the United Nations has an important role to play in the deliberations on the world economy.  They envision that this High-Level Thematic Debate will also contribute towards the success of many related United Nations processes and events, including most notably the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), as well as the discussions taking place in informal forums, such as the G-20 summit in Los Cabos.

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For information media • not an official record