Marrakesh, Morocco (BBN)– The world is facing challenges transcending borders like no other time in history, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an international conference on Saturday, underlining the pivotal role played by global governance.
“As interdependence deepens, some of our old systems and set-ups have not kept pace,” Mr. Ban told the opening session of this year’s World Policy Conference organized by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Marrakesh.
The Secretary-General noted that no country or group, however powerful or resourceful, can alone resolve problems which do not respect borders.
“Even the United Nations cannot do it alone, without full support of Member States and international organizations, regional organizations, and sub-regional organizations,” he stressed.
Mr. Ban pointed to three main areas in which the world must pool its energy and resources.
Firstly, he said at the start of the three-day gathering set to draw some 140 representatives from governments, the private sector, academia and the media to discuss global governance issues, the world must join forces to help its most vulnerable people.
Developing countries help to drive economic growth and will also help pull the world out of the global economic and financial crisis, the UN chief added.
Second, the Secretary-General said, stepped up efforts are needed to stave off the challenge posed by climate change.
For the first in history, leaders agreed to contain global temperature rise within 2 degrees centigrade by 2050, as well as to provide $100 billion annually in financial support to developing countries by 2020.
BBN/SSR/SI-17Oct10-1:41 pm (BST)
