REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW YORK -- World leaders on Friday pledged to end extreme poverty within 15 years, adopting an ambitious set of UN goals to be backed up by trillions of dollars in development spending.

Pope Francis welcomed the new global agenda as an "important sign of hope" in his speech to the UN General Assembly and urged leaders to deliver on their promise to transform the world by 2030.

Making his first address to the United Nations, the pontiff sounded a note of warning, saying pledges were worthless without the determination to follow through.

"Solemn commitments, however, are not enough, even though they are a necessary step toward solutions," the pope said as he urged leaders to take "concrete steps and immediate measures" to protect the environment and end exclusion.