UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday stressed the importance of sustainability while launching a report that outlines a global development framework for the period after 2015.

In a statement released here by his spokesperson, Ban commended the transformative shifts identified by the report, specifically the call to put sustainability at the center of the post-2015 development agenda.

"He emphasized that sustainability is not just an environmental matter, but an approach that would integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development, as agreed at the Rio + 20 Conference," the statement said.

Entitled A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development, the report sets out a universal agenda to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030 and deliver on the promise of sustainable development. It also emphasizes that the new development agenda must be universal applying to countries in the global North and South alike and be infused with a spirit of partnership.

In the statement, Ban welcomed the attention to youth, as well as to inclusive growth and employment creation. He also welcomed the report's recognition that peace, human rights, rule of law and good governance are core foundations for development.

The report, which was praised by the UN chief as "an important milestone," was compiled by a 27-member High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The Panel began its work in September and has held consultations with more than 5,000 civil society groups from 121 countries across every region of the world to produce the report.

"The Secretary-General praised the panel for its inclusive approach and extensive consultations over the past year," the statement added.

The High-Level Panel's report is intended to build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed on by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000, which set specific targets on poverty alleviation, education, gender equality, child and maternal health, environmental stability, HIV/AIDS reduction, and a Global Partnership for Development all by a deadline of 2015.