When the secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, takes the floor of the UN general assembly this week, he will address two of the most pressing challenges of our time: poverty and climate change.

The debates on these issues are on track to coincide in 2015, a moment that will likely shape international action on climate and development for the next generation. In September 2015, UN negotiators will work towards an agreement on what will come after the millennium development goals (MDGs) expire that year. In Paris, just two months later, negotiators will convene to establish a global climate agreement. The combination of the sustainable development agenda and the international climate agreement will be a defining moment for the UN system – and for the world.

The big question is how can we take advantage of this moment to bring greater ambition and coherence to global efforts to tackle climate change and poverty eradication?

Reducing poverty and improving human well-being are at the core of the original MDGs, formulated in 2000. Since then, the world has experienced significant, although uneven, economic and social progress. Global economic growth is driven by developing countries today. The MDG target on poverty reduction was met five years ahead of schedule. And, more than 2 billion people gained access to clean drinking water between 1990 and 2010.

Yet, the world is changing dramatically. The global population is racing toward 9 billion people in 2050, with nearly 3 billion expected to join the middle class in the next two decades. Meanwhile, 1.3 billion people are still trapped in extreme poverty ($1.25 per day), with another billion hovering on the brink (between $1.25 and $2.00). Countries will need to make an even deeper commitment to achieve the ambitious goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.

The urgency of the climate challenge is likewise becoming clearer. Global emissions are on the rise. Climate impacts are no longer a distant threat. They have already arrived. The previous decade (between 2001 and 2010) was the hottest on record. Arctic sea ice is shrinking at a record rate–down to half its usual extent last September. The world is experiencing deadly heatwaves, new diseases, and food price spikes that can be linked to climate change. People in already vulnerable living conditions will be hit hardest.

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