The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Baldwin Lonsdale, President of the Republic of Vanuatu, on the margins of the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Secretary-General said that his thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu as it faces the impacts of tropical cyclone Pam. He added that Vanuatu has already been suffering from the adverse effects of climate change, and storms such as Pam only exacerbate the challenges that the country faces.

The Secretary-General noted that Vanuatu's situation further highlighted the importance of the Sendai conference, as well as the urgent need for ambitious action on both disaster risk reduction and on climate change.

He expressed his full support and that of the UN system to Vanuatu, adding that the Organization stands ready to help in any way that it can.

The Secretary-General and the President also discussed the post-2015 development agenda, including the empowerment of women.