Activities of Secretary-General in Slovakia, 17-20 October
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Poprad, Slovakia, from Rome on Saturday evening, 17 October.
On the morning of Sunday, 18 October, the Secretary-General visited Lomnický Peak. At 2,634 metres it is the second highest summit in the High Tatras range in the east of Slovakia. He was briefed on the solar observation work undertaken at the observatory based on the Peak.
Next, the Secretary-General attended a working lunch with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Miroslav Lajčák and Environment Minister Peter Žiga for discussions that covered climate change, sustainable development, and regional and global political developments.
Later, the Secretary-General travelled to Levoča, a city that is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. The Secretary-General visited the City Hall and Saint Jacob’s Church. At City Hall, the Secretary-General said he was deeply impressed by the city’s heritage and underscored the role of local communities living in a sustainable and harmonious way. “I hope you will 'own' these Sustainable Development Goals as your city's Sustainable Development Goals and implement them,” the Secretary-General told the city's Mayor, referring to the 17 Goals adopted at a United Nations summit in September as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change over the next 15 years.
The Secretary-General also visited another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the medieval Spiš Castle, before holding talks with the President of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Kiska, and attending a dinner hosted by the President. That same evening the Secretary-General flew from Poprad to Bratislava.
On Monday morning, 19 October, the Secretary-General first met with a group of students from the Diplomatic Academy of the Karol Rybárik International Relations Institute at Comenius University. (See Press Release SG/SM/17241.)
He then attended a ceremony at the University at which he was awarded an honorary doctorate. “This is a reflection of your esteem for the United Nations,” the Secretary-General said in his acceptance speech. “I accept on behalf of its global staff. They are the UN's heart and soul, and I attribute all honours I receive to them.” (See Press Release SG/SM/17242.)
The Secretary-General then viewed the Basagic Collection of Islamic Manuscripts at the University library before attending the opening of an exhibition to mark the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. (See Press Release SG/SM/17243.)
Next, the Secretary-General attended a working lunch with Prime Minister Robert Fico before holding a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Lajčák.
He also held a meeting with the President of the National Council, the speaker of Parliament, Peter Pellegrini, at Bratislava Castle.
The Secretary-General then travelled by road from Bratislava to the Humanitarian Centre in Gabčíkovo, which houses up to 500 Syrians who are seeking asylum in Austria and are being accommodated in Slovakia while their claims are processed. The Secretary-General met with some of the refugees and spoke to media along with Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák and Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner. In his remarks, the Secretary-General urged all leaders to show their global solidarity and compassionate leadership. That same evening he returned to Bratislava.
On Tuesday morning, 20 October, the Secretary-General left Bratislava. Before departure, he gave Foreign Minister Lajčák a Slovak-language version of the Sustainable Development Goals icons. The Minister gave the Secretary-General a Slovak national ice hockey shirt. The Secretary-General travelled by road from Bratislava to Vienna, from where he flew to Tel Aviv, and arrived the same day. Madam Ban travelled from Vienna to New York.