UN chief calls for ‘global leadership’

UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday stressed the need for “global leadership” as he pressed world leaders not to pursue narrow national interests in the face of hard economic times.

“I see a danger of nations looking more inward, rather than toward a shared future,” he said at the opening of the UN General Assembly’s annual debate.

He spoke of a “challenge of global leadership” to tackle the world’s worsening financial, energy and food crises.

(Article continues below)

“We see new centers of power and leadership — in Asia, Latin America and across the newly developed world,” Ban told more than 120 heads of state or government, including Presidents George W. Bush of the United States and Nicolas Sarkozy of France.

“In this new world, our challenges are increasingly those of collaboration rather than confrontation,” he added.

“Nations can no longer protect their interests, or advance the well-being of their people, without the partnership of the rest.”

Full article here