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A series of international summits taking place this week will help to protect jobs and homes in Britain, says Gordon Brown.
The prime minister's comments came as he headed to New York for intensive discussions on the economy, climate change, poverty, nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
Brown will join other leaders in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations general assembly.
With energy secretary Ed Miliband also in New York, the proceedings on Tuesday focus on climate change as the prime minister chairs the meeting of a working group on the issue.
Brown has stressed his concerns over the issue and was the first world leader to announce his possible attendance at the climate change summit in Copenhagen this December.
"Long-term targets that have got to be agreed so that we reduce emissions substantially by 2050," he said.
The prime minister will address the UN general assembly on Wednesday, along with US President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
On Thursday there will be a meeting of the UN security council chaired by President Obama.
The session will focus on the president's agenda for international disarmament to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile the foreign ministers of the so-called E3+3 group of Britain, France, Germany, the US, Russia and China, meet on Wednesday to discuss talks next week with Iran on its nuclear programme.
The prime minister will also be presented with a 'world statesman award' from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation at its annual dinner in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Hotel.
The award is in recognition of his leadership on issues facing humanity, his commitment to freedom, human dignity and the environment.
Speaking to GMTV before he left, Brown said the talks will not just be about the balance of the world economy.
"It's partly that, but it’s partly also jobs in Britain, homes in Britain, businesses in Britain," he said.
"And what we are really finding is, if we can get help from America, Europe and the rest of the world, and we can help them, then there is a better chance of getting out of recession quicker, a better chance of more jobs in the economy, a better chance of being able to save people's homes if they're worried about their mortgage, and a better chance of small businesses staying in existence."
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