The Secretary-General met with the President of South Africa, Mr. Jacob Zuma, today ahead of the G20 summit meeting in Seoul.

They discussed a wide range of topics including the G20 summit, development, the Millennium Development Goals, the Secretary-General¡¯s Global Sustainability Panel, climate change and regional African concerns.

The Secretary-General congratulated President Zuma on South Africa¡¯s election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council at a crucial time for Africa and the rest of the world.

The Secretary-General thanked President Zuma for South Africa¡¯s role co-chairing the G20 development working group. This would help coordinate G20 and United Nations work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. They agreed it was highly significant that development would figure prominently on the agenda of the G20 summit for the first time.

The Secretary-General and President Zuma discussed how the Secretary-General¡¯s Global Sustainability Panel would develop a blueprint for sustainable development for all in the 21st century.

The Secretary-General and President Zuma exchanged views on developments in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Burundi.

Seoul/New York, 11 November 2010