The Secretary-General met today with the President of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, on the margins of the Summit of the League of Arab States in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The Secretary-General congratulated Egypt on a successful summit and also commended Egypt's leadership role in many regional issues.

In a discussion on the Middle East peace process, the Secretary-General underlined the importance both of Palestinian reconciliation and of reconstruction in Gaza.  Despite generous  pledges made at the Cairo conference in October 2014, the Secretary-General underscored that the disbursement of funds for Gaza had been very limited, which had dangerous implications on the ground. The Secretary-General and President el-Sisi discussed the importance of all sides continuing to work for a genuine two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians would respect their mutual security needs.

The Secretary-General then briefed the President on the difficult situations in Yemen, Libya and Syria, where his Special Envoys were tirelessly working to promote dialogue and stability and to end conflict in all three countries.

The Secretary-General also briefed the President on current United Nations initiatives to combat extremism and terrorism. 

The Secretary-General also updated the President on a number of important on-going development-related issues within the framework of the United Nations, including the negotiations on the Sustainable Development goals, the upcoming Addis Ababa Financing for Development Conference, and the COP21 Climate Change conference in Paris.