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UN chief calls on G20 summit to address development agenda

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-10 16:43

SEOUL -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Wednesday leaders of the world's 20 major economies to be brought together here for an upcoming summit to put development issues on the table.

In a press conference in Seoul with foreign media, Ban stressed the "interconnectedness" between major financial issues expected to dominate the two-day G20 summit, which kicks off Thursday, and development issues, and called on the world's leaders to work "more comprehensively" on them.

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The UN chief said the G20 summit and the UN are playing "mutually complementary" roles in tackling development issues, and that he is "very encouraged" by the prospect that the G20 leaders will adopt concrete action plans to further ensure action beyond words.

"We must keep our promise on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," Ban said of a set of development goals the UN had pledged to achieve by 2015, including eradicating abject poverty, promoting gender equality and ensuring environmental sustainability. "I call the MDGs weapons of mass construction."

Trade, the chief added, can be a channel through which developed nations can assist poor countries. The international community "must have the Doha Development Round concluded," he said, referring to stalled talks aimed at increasing global trade.

"The way through economic hard times is through development," Ban said, adding that he is "very hopeful" that the summit, hosted by his native country will be a great success in addressing development issues along with other pressing financial issues, such as trade imbalances and currency exchange rates. "This is time for unity."