by Our Foreign Desk

WORLD leaders unanimously backed an ambitious set of development goals yesterday that call for the eradication of extreme poverty and tackling climate change.

Leaders and diplomats from the 193 members of the United Nations applauded as general assembly president Mogens Lykketoft gavelled approval for the proposals.

Discussion on how to implement the goals is expected to dominate the three days of the UN general assembly’s 70th summit.

Secretary-general Ban Ki Moon said that would be the real test and called for action from all people and high-level political commitment.

The agenda “embodies the aspirations of people everywhere for lives of peace, security and dignity on a healthy planet,” Mr Ban said. The goals “are a to-do list for people and planet, and a blueprint for success.”

The non-binding goals will succeed the eight Millennium Development Goals adopted 15 years ago.

Despite significant progress, the only one achieved before this year was halving the number of people living in extreme poverty — due primarily to economic growth in China.

The broad new goals include ensuring “healthy lives,” quality education for all, clean water, sanitation and reliable modern energy — and achieving gender equality, making cities safe, reducing inequality within and among countries and promoting economic growth.

Achieving them is estimated to cost between £2.3 and £3.3 trillion each year until 2030 — a hefty sum but certainly achievable if rich countries pull their weight. The World Bank estimated the world’s economic output to be over £50trn in 2013.

The start of the general assembly session, to be addressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time, also saw Pope Francis make an appearance during his US tour.

He told delegates that a “selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged.”

He asserted that all people have a fundamental right to food, water, education and what he called “the three Ls” — lodging, labour and land.