Ban Ki-moon (C), secretary general of the United Nations, takes part in a social event prior to the opening of G77+China Summit in the Ramon Tahuichi Stadium in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on June 14, 2014. (Xinhua/Pedro Mera)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said that the Group of 77 (G-77) and China are an important force in carrying out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a blueprint for global development efforts for year leading up to 2030.

The statement came as the secretary-general was speaking at the 40th annual meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of 77, which was held at the UN Headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly.

"The United Nations and the G-77 have an invaluable partnership," Ban said. "Together, we have made enormous progress for human rights and human dignity."

"The G-77 and China was also a driving force behind the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -- our truly transformative plan for the planet and all people," he said.

"I call on the G-77 countries to live up to the New York Declaration -- and pressure the developed world to do its part," the secretary-general said, referring to an international document adopted here by UN member states to address the issue of large movement of refugees and migrations.

"It is critical to address root causes," he said. "Poverty, human rights abuses and violence drive people from their homes."

"Migration should always be a choice," the secretary-general said. "That is why it is so important to carry out the 2030 Agenda," which includes 17 SDGs.

"We need to create jobs, especially for young people," he said. "And we need to continue the fight for full equality for women."

The G-77 was set up in June 1964 by 77 developing countries signatories of the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries" issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.

The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations, which provides the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system, and promote South-South cooperation for development.

The G-77 kept its distinctive name even after the membership expanded to 134 countries.