Activities of Secretary-General in Ethiopia, 27-28 October
United Nations Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday, 27 October. This was the first leg of a joint visit to the Horn of Africa region with the President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, as well as with representatives of the African Union, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank.
The Secretary-General first met with the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. They discussed the visit to the Horn of Africa, the fight against Ebola, the situation in South Sudan and in Somalia.
The joint delegation and African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma then met with Ministers and representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). They exchanged views on opportunities and challenges facing the Horn of Africa region, notably food security, development, peace and security.
Later, the Secretary-General met with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Dessalegn. Prime Minister Dessalegn welcomed the United Nations-World Bank joint initiative to address food security and development in the Horn of Africa, with the Secretary‑General underscoring their relationship with peace and security issues of the region.
That evening, the Secretary-General held a joint press conference with the other members of the delegation. Noting he had already undertaken two joint trips with the President of the World Bank to the Sahel and to the Great lakes region, he said that this was a moment of opportunity for the Horn of Africa. He noted that peace and development in the Horn of Africa are mutually reinforcing and that regional cooperation, integration and dialogue are essential.
That evening, the Secretary‑General attended a reception hosted by the United Nations and the World Bank in Ethiopia.
The following day, Tuesday, 28 October, the Secretary‑General attended a joint meeting with African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on the fight against Ebola. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said that they had discussed how their organizations could help the international community's efforts to address the Ebola outbreak. He noted the deployment of the African Union Support to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa mission and encouraged it to coordinate closely with the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). He also appealed to countries not to impose travel restrictions or close their borders, but rather to deploy the essential human resources that will help to contain the outbreak.
Before leaving Addis Ababa, the Secretary‑General attended the inauguration ceremony of the new office facility at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). He said that the opening of the new office facility was a milestone for the United Nations and for its already close partnership with Ethiopia and with people across Africa. (See Press Release SG/SM/16287.)
The Secretary‑General left Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for Djibouti, in the early afternoon of 28 October.