Facing a world where inequality is growing, trust is fading, and impatience with leadership can be seen and felt far and wide, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon set the stage for 70th General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly today with a call to \u201ctranslate promises on paper to action on the ground\u201d by backing a bold new sustainability agenda that aims to wipe out poverty and build a sustainable future for all.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur aim is clear. Our mission is possible. And our destination is in our sights: an end to extreme poverty by 2030 a life of peace and dignity for all,\u201d the Secretary-General declared, noting that this session of the General Assembly had opened with a \u201ctowering achievement\u201d: the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for, including 17 inspiring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<\/p>\n
What counts now is translating those promises on paper into real change, said the UN chief, adding: \u201cWe owe this and much more to the vulnerable, the oppressed, the displaced and the forgotten people in our world. We owe this to \u2018succeeding generations,\u2019 in the memorable words the Charter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this year in which we mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, we must heed the call of the Charter, and hear the voices of \u2018we the peoples.\u2019 That is how we can overcome the grim realities of the present — and seize the remarkable opportunities of our era,\u201d declared the Secretary-General.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ban\u2019s annual opening message, which draws from his yearly report on the work of the Organization turned next to the pressing challenges of the day. Suffering is at heights not seen in a generation, he said, explaining that one hundred million people require humanitarian assistance. At least 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes or their countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United Nations has asked for nearly $20 billion to meet this year\u2019s needs \u2013 six times the level of a decade ago. UN humanitarian agencies and our partners are braving difficult conditions to reach people. Member States have been generous, but demands continue to dwarf funding,\u201d said the Secretary-General, urging all countries to do more to alleviate suffering in countries across the world, from war\u2013torn Iraq, South Sudan, Yemen and Syria, to Gambia, where one in four children suffers from stunting, and the UN appeal \u201chas been met with silence.<\/p>\n