Activities of Secretary-General in Switzerland, 14-15 June

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, on the afternoon of Sunday, 14 June.

He met with Abdul Latif bin Rashid al Zayani, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, on the situation in Yemen.

The Secretary-General ended his day with a dinner with the heads of United Nations agencies based in Geneva.

The following morning, Monday, 15 June, the Secretary-General met with representatives of the Government of Yemen.  He had intended to have a joint meeting with the Yemeni parties that day, but logistical issues made this impossible.

The Secretary-General then met with the so-called “Group of 16” Ambassadors, as well as Switzerland.

Speaking to reporters before departing Geneva, the Secretary-General warned that, since March, the fighting in Yemen has killed more than 2,600 people — half of them civilians.  Today, he said, Yemen’s very existence hangs in the balance.  While parties bicker, Yemen burns, he added.

“In Yemen’s case, the ticking clock is not a timepiece, it is a time bomb,” the Secretary-General said.  “The region simply cannot sustain another open wound like Syria and Libya.  We must find a way to end the suffering and begin the long road to peace.”

The Secretary-General and Madam Ban arrived in New York on Monday afternoon.