Ban says global problems interconnected, but good base laid for overcoming them

From L-R, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius, President-designate of COP21 and French President Francois Hollande react during the final plenary session at the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, Dec 12, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

UNITED NATIONS - While looking back on 2015 with its seemingly disparate challenges, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that the world's problems are "tightly interconnected" with root causes in "abject poverty and lack of good governance".

Yet, he believed the year "will be recorded as one of the most important, historic, years in the history of the United Nations," because, "We have laid down all good foundations" for solving global issues, citing adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by world leaders here in September.

Ban also announced the next session of talks on the Syrian conflict, known as the Vienna process, would be held Friday in New York City, followed by a Security Council meeting on the topic.

"Syria is an open sore on the Middle East and the wider world," the secretary-general said. "We are pressing for a nationwide cease-fire and for the start of negotiations in January on a political transition, and we must not relent."

During a year-in-review session with reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, dominated by questions relating to the more-than four-year-old Syrian conflict, Ban was asked, if he saw any link between major global crises and "the entailing consequences, such as the refugee crisis and terrorism."

"In this world nothing is operating in isolation so everything is tightly interconnected whether it is migration or terrorism or peace and development and human rights," he replied. "We can find some causes of certain issues which are tightly connected. Some of the root causes would be abject poverty, lack of good governance, when there is a complete despair among the people."

"When there is a complete disregard by the leaders on the wishes and aspirations of the people, then people try to find other ways to address their own difficulties and concerns and sufferings," said the secretary-general.

"Nobody wants to suffer from any reason, whether it is of poverty, disease or abuse of authorities or abusive powers," he said. "That is why I've been always asking for good governance and inclusive dialogue and addressing abject poverty, those are the answers."

Ban said foreign terrorist fighters alone cannot be blamed as the cause of violence when other factors have driven people "to flee, to migrate or to become radical."

"We have to address all this in sync, in closer coordination," he said. "I think world leaders have provided some good sense of promise and hope" in adopting the "17 SDGs and the climate change agreement."

If implemented, "most of the people will be able to live in a much better, in much more stable situation and with much more prosperity," the UN chief said. "The year 2015 I believe will be recorded as one of the most important, historic years in the history of the UN where we have laid down all good foundations."