Activities of Secretary-General in Saudi Arabia, 9-11 November
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early on Monday evening, 9 November, to take part in the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American countries.
Shortly after his arrival, he attended a dinner with the United Nations country team.
On Tuesday, 10 November, the Secretary-General met with the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Maria Ángela Holguín Cuéllar. They discussed the country’s role in the forthcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21), as well as the peace process under way in Colombia.
The Secretary-General then met with the Foreign Minister of Brazil, Mauro Vieira. They exchanged views on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and COP 21, as well as the situations in Syria and in the Middle East. They also discussed Brazil’s contribution to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the peace process in Colombia.
Later that evening, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American countries. He underlined the long history of beneficial contact and exchange between the two regions, saying that this interregional cooperation offers broad scope for mutual learning and sharing of experience as the regions strive to promote peace, development, social inclusion and human rights. He noted that Latin American countries have largely made the transition that so many people across the Arab world yearn to make for themselves and stressed the role of community organizations, civil society groups and human rights organizations in that regard. (See Press Release SG/SM/17313.)
After attending an official dinner organized by Saudi Arabia for the participants to the Summit, the Secretary-General met with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, King of Saudi Arabia. Also in attendance were Mohamed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Saudi Arabia; and Mohammad Bin Salman Al-Saud, Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, as well as Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia. They discussed the country’s role in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as in the upcoming Climate Conference in Paris. They also talked about the situations in Syria and Yemen and agreed on the need for an end to these two conflicts.
The Secretary-General left Riyadh very early on 11 November to return to New York.