U.N. chief critical of absent leaders

ISTANBUL, Turkey — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday criticized the leaders of the world’s wealthiest countries for failing to attend a pivotal humanitarian conference in Turkey which culminated with a long list of commitments and question marks over their implementation.

At the closing of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, the first of its kind, Ban said it was “disappointing that some world leaders” couldn’t attend, singling out Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the summit.

Ban also criticized members of the U. N. Security Council who have prevented progress “not only in critical issues of war and peace, but even on humanitarian affairs,” stressing that the absence of these leaders didn’t “provide an excuse for inaction.”

The conference, which aimed to boost humanitarian responses to global crises, drew the participation of 10,000 participants including 65 heads of states. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose nations are striving to broker peace in Syria, were no-shows.

Despite the absence of global heavyweights, Ban was encouraged by the results of the conference saying that more than 1,500 commitments were made by 400 government representatives, humanitarian organizations and other groups in line with the conference’s priorities.

Top U. N. officials used the second day of the summit to call for greater preparedness for emergencies and increased protection for the most vulnerable. They unveiled a new “Global Preparedness” partnership so that 20 countries could be ready to face future risks, primarily caused by climate change, by 2020.