Activities of Secretary-General in Tajikistan,11-12 June

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres travelled to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from Osh, Kyrgyzstan, on the evening of Sunday, 11 June where, upon arrival, he met with President Emomali Rahmon.

The next morning, he addressed the opening ceremony of a national conference on the Sustainable Development Goals, during which he stressed that achieving the 2030 Agenda will require cooperation and innovative partnerships, with the engagement of all stakeholders.  (See Press Release SG/SM/18583.)

Following this event, the Secretary-General flew to Lake Sarez, in the Pamir Mountains.  He stressed that Tajikistan faces unique threats from the impacts of climate change, with almost 30 per cent of its glaciers having melted in the last 10 years alone.

He then went to Darvoz district, bordering Tajikistan and Afghanistan, where he visited the boundary bridge at the border point and received a short briefing on the activities of the Anti-Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan.

Back in Dushanbe, the Secretary-General met with United Nations staff working in Tajikistan, as well as with civil society representatives.  On his way to the airport, he laid a wreath at the memorial plaque in honour of United Nations staff killed in the line of duty in Tajikistan.

The Secretary-General then left for Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he arrived in the late evening.