Kerim lists priorities for U.N. assembly

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Climate change headlined five priorities U.N. delegates will consider, U.N. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim told the representatives Tuesday.

Other priorities to be discussed included financing development, the Millennium Development Goals, countering terrorism and reviewing how the United Nations can be managed effectively and coherently to achieve these priorities, Kerim told the assembly in his opening remarks.

"Climate change and its dramatic effects are increasingly visible and increasingly violent. The irony is that those least responsible for it will suffer most," he said in prepared remarks released in advance of his address.

He said the United Nations can address climate change into three areas: take stock of what's available and what's necessary to address the issue, develop a vision for the future and a strategy to implement the vision.

Modernizing the U.N. management and "implementing greater coherence across the system" will allow the organization to deliver better results on the priorities, he said.

"The basic values, norms and principles of international relations world are undergoing a profound transition," Kerim said. "These are characterized by great opportunities, as well as great challenges. The life patterns of individuals and communities are increasingly shaped by global economic forces."