“With the creation of UNCTAD, all members of the United Nations Organization explicitly adopted a development perspective,” Mr. Ban, speaking in the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations at the UN office in Geneva on 17 June, said. “Over the past half century, the entire United Nations family has strengthened its commitment to fair and inclusive socioeconomic development.”

“Our task today is in some senses more difficult than it was 50 years ago,” Mr. Ban said. “If we are to succeed in our quest for sustainable development, we will have to strengthen multilateral cooperation and global partnerships. In preparation for post-2015 [when new development targets will be in place], we in the United Nations system are working on making ourselves ‘fit for purpose’. As an anchor in the UN’s development pillar, UNCTAD has a vital role to play in helping to deliver the post-2015 agenda.”

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