In South Pacific, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon witnesses effects of climate change, stresses need for action

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, today stressed that climate change posed the most serious threat to the livelihoods, security and survival of the island nation's residents and the inhabitants of the wider Pacific region, saying the phenomenon was undermining efforts to achieve sustainable development.

Both leaders reaffirmed the need for urgent international action to reduce emissions of the harmful greenhouse gases and underlined the need make climate change adaptation funding available to finance the implementation of critical programmes to tackle the impact of climate change on communities there.