The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, Speaker of the Danish Parliament.  On this occasion, the Secretary-General expressed his sincere appreciation for the longstanding and solid partnership the United Nations enjoys with Denmark.  In this context, he also commended the Danish Parliament for the leadership role played by Denmark on several key global issues, including on climate change, sustainable development and international development cooperation. The Secretary-General expressed his hope that Denmark would maintain its high level of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and that the Danish Parliament would continue being supportive in that context.

During the meeting, the Secretary-General and Mr. Lykketoft discussed a number of other key issues of common concern to Denmark and the UN.  Topics included the conflict in Syria and the urgent need for a political solution, as well as the situation in Afghanistan. They discussed the need for a global legal agreement on climate change by 2015 and progress being made toward that end. They further exchanged views regarding implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the preparations for a post-2015 development framework.