[JURIST] United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon [official website], briefing the General Assembly on Thursday, presented [official statement] his report which proposes a new development agenda and called 2015 a “time for global action.” The Secretary General said this year could see major advances in development, peace and human rights. The new development agenda will focus on completing the Millennium Development Goals [official website] which had a target date of 2015. On peace and security, Ki-moon listed several hot-spot regions of conflict including: South Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Ukraine among others. The Secretary General said that terrorism is still a global threat and also stated:

Our response to brutality and extremism cannot be limited to military action, important as it is. We must engage in wide-ranging efforts, including by addressing the conditions that give rise to such poison in the first place… In the same vein, I also appeal to those conducting military actions against terrorists to fully observe human rights.

Ki-moon addressed human rights, urging member states to support the Human Rights Upfront Initiative. He also expressed concern over the death penalty, abuse toward marginalized groups and slavery.

In the last month, UN has expressed criticism over conflicts around the world. This presentation came just one day after Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday spoke [JURIST report] out against the attack against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo [corporate website]. The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq earlier this month reported [JURIST report] that casualty figures for the country have reached their highest point over the past five years. In December the Secretary-General condemned [JURIST report] a decision by the Sudanese government to remove two senior UN officials from the country. Also in December The UN Human Rights Office and the UN Support Mission in Libya released a joint report [JURIST report] describing civilian populations in Libya being subjected to shelling, abduction, torture, execution and deliberate destruction of property.