Speaking at Davos this year:
The Secretary General of the UN has told industrial leaders they have a social and moral duty to innovate, in the drive to turn around the global financial crisis.
Ban Ki-moon said that many countries were calling for the economy to be revitalised, social inequality to be addressed and the planet to be saved.
Mr Ban said that sustainable development would be a priority for the UN in addressing these issues.
via BBC
An earlier speech on sustainable development in September of 2011: