The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has outlined his priorities for 2010 with a focus on sustainable development and a binding agreement on climate change.

The UN chief called on the international community to step up efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 at the UN General Assembly on January 11.

He emphasised the importance of investing in development projects to ensure people’s security and improve their standard of living.

He sees 2010 as a year for action in several other areas, including responding to climate change.

Last month, numerous countries reached a political accord which seeks immediate actions on climate change and negotiations for more long-term actions.

It also includes an agreement to work towards curbing the rise in global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius, efforts to reduce or limit emissions, and pledges to raise 100 billion USD a year for developing countries to combat the effects of climate change.

According to the UN’s head, all the world’s countries need to reach a binding agreement on the issue this year.

The Secretary-General also called for more moves to empower women, work towards a nuclear-free world, further human rights and the rule of law, and prevent conflicts as well as strengthen the UN.

Also the same day, UN food aid agencies called on developing countries to focus on rural development and sustainable agriculture in order to combat poverty.

A report from the World Food Programme said that climate change has resulted in a four fold increase in the number of natural disasters happening in the past decade and the global population would be 9 billion by 2050./.