Secretary-General's press encounter with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa [unofficial transcript]

My sincere congratulations to President Zuma.

One of our big topics was of course on the World Cup. We talked a lot about goals. But we also talked some other types of goals. Scoring a goal is very important. But for me as Secretary-General, scoring another goal is also important for humanity. This is the Millennium Development Goals.

This year is the Year of Development for the United Nations, for the whole international community. We have to realise and hit the target of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Now, we are going to convene a special summit meeting of the United Nations with a focus on the Millennium Development Goals. This is eight goals. These eight goals are for Africa –eight goals for Africa, eight goals for all the world.

It starts from reducing abject poverty, providing decent education opportunities for young students and providing equal rights, equal opportunities for women and girls, empowering women, and reducing child mortality and most important maternal mortality. Child and maternal health are the most important goals, which unfortunately been progressing in the slowest way. So we have to generate political will and mobilise resources.

I'm just coming from Washington, where I attended a Deliver Women event. That was the most dynamic, the most energetic event where all world leaders gathered to generate political will, and reaffirm to mobilise resources.

And we have to address HIV/AIDS and malaria and tuberculosis, we have also to make this Planet Earth in an economically sustainable and environmentally sustainable way. All these are very important goals which I want to score this year and in the coming five years. I need the strong support of President Zuma, as a leader of South Africa, as leader in the region and a global leader, as a member of G20, as a leader of SADC and the African Union. Now, without the participation of African Union, all African countries, without realising the development challenges of the African people, we may not be able to declare, to claim that we are living in a harmonious world, in a prosperous world. This is commitment. And I would like to really sincerely congratulate the President again for this successful hosting of the World Cup, and I wish you all the best and congratulations again. Thank you very much.

Q: The last five World Cups were all in developed countries. Now we have one in a developing country and in 2014 again in a developing country. Should FIFA and the IOC establish social criteria to establish where the World Cup should happen?

SG: It is very encouraging that developing countries are hosting this World Cup. By hosting a World Cup, these developing countries are not only hosting the top soccer game itself, it can also help transform any country, any hosting country, to a much, much higher level of technological development, social-economic development and even have an effect of harmonising the social-economic, political and democratisation developments toward a global level. This is what we have seen in many parts of the world. By hosting Olympic Games and the World Cup, world events, this gives not only pride and sense of achievement to the people themselves. It can give a very important opportunity to harmonise as well as transform their domestic political and social-economic development. These sports can be used as a uniting power. It can send a very strong, powerful message which unites people. Through this even political differences of opinion can be reconciled. Therefore I would really strongly support these world events like Olympics and World Cup can be held in developing countries.

Q: (In Korean) There is going to be a match between South Korea and Nigeria. Which team do you want to win, as Secretary-General?

SG: Her question in Korean was that there is going to be a match between the Korean team and the Nigerian team. As Secretary-General of the United Nations which team am I going to support? This puts me in a very difficult position as Secretary-General. Of course as I am a Korean citizen I would hope that the Korean team will do a great performance. As you may remember in 2002, Korea hosted the World Cup, and that has given a great sense of achievement and pride to the Korean people. I was able to witness for myself such a powerful atmosphere when people were just united as one team, one nation, one country. This was a great moment of unity. As President Zuma said, these sports can be used for development and peace and peace-building. And that is why I have appointed the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sports for Peace and Development. That's a very important initiative. I hope both teams, the Nigerian and Korean teams, will do their best. The important thing is, of course we want to score a goal, but to score a goal you have to give your best effort. I wish all the best to both teams.