UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that he will convene a high-level meeting on climate change in September when the General Assembly holds its annual debate.

The meeting will bring together "heads of state and government for all member states," Ban told reporters at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York.

"The negotiations to be completed in Copenhagen by the end of this year require global leadership of the highest order. We have no time to lose," he said, referring to the landmark UN conference at which world leaders are set to agree on an international deal to tackle climate change.

"Reaching a new climate agreement this year will require direct involvement of world leaders," he said. "We need direct involvement at the highest level of government."

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2009)