SG/T/3067

Activities of Secretary-General in Finland, 8-9 December

On Tuesday, 8 December, in the evening, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew from Paris, France, to Helsinki, Finland, to participate in the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the country’s membership in the United Nations.

The Secretary-General and Madam Ban Soon-taek met President Sauli Niinistö for breakfast on Wednesday, 9 December, before proceeding to Finlandia Hall for the official celebration of Finland’s sixtieth anniversary as a Member State of the United Nations.

In his address to the event, the Secretary-General said that, over the last six decades, Finland, the Finnish people and the United Nations have developed a rich history and a fruitful partnership.  He also said that as the world faces the refugees and migration crisis, development assistance has never been more important.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17404.)

Following the celebration, the Secretary-General met with Finn Tarp, Director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER).

The Secretary-General and President Niinistö then had a bilateral meeting at the Presidential Palace, followed by a joint press conference during which the Secretary-General commended Finland’s contributions to peacemaking, peacekeeping, mediation, development and human rights.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Timo Soini, as well as with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, Maria Lohela, and members of the Finnish Committee for Foreign Relations.

Before leaving the country, the Secretary-General visited an asylum seekers’ centre close to the capital, alongside Finland’s Minister of Interior and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antόnio Guterres, where he met with several refugees.  He said afterwards that he was deeply moved and inspired by the compassionate response from Finnish civil society to help refugees and migrants.

That evening, the Secretary-General flew back to Paris, France, for the conclusion of the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP21.

For information media. Not an official record.