Addis Ababa

30 January 2012

Readout of the Secretary-General's meeting with H.E. Mr. Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin

Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary-General

The Secretary-General met today, 30 January 2012, with H.E. Mr. Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin on the margins of the 18th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Secretary-General congratulated the President on his election as the new Chair of the African Union and offered to work with him to further enhance UN-AU cooperation, and to support AU priorities for 2012. The Secretary-General expressed concerns over the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, and expressed appreciation to the President for his Government's support to the recent assessment mission on piracy in the region. The Secretary-General encouraged the President to work with ECOWAS, ECCAS and other organizations to develop regional strategies to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.