SG/T/3096

Activities of Secretary-General in Switzerland, 29 April

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, from Austria on Friday, 29 April.

The Secretary-General welcomed the arrival of the Olympic Flame at the Palais des Nations, where he attended a ceremony celebrating the Olympic spirit.  The Olympic Flame, which arrived in a lantern carried by 13-year-old Bruna Gabrielle Pitta Portugal, held centre stage at the ceremony attended by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach; the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Michael Møller; Brazil’s Minister for Sport, Ricardo Leyser; the President of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman; and Brazil’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Regina Dunlop.  Several other dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Prince Albert II of Monaco and members of the International Olympic Committee; the United Nations Secretary-General’s Adviser on Sports for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke; the Mayor of Geneva, Esther Alder; as well as many United Nations staff and other guests.

Speaking at the event, the Secretary-General said the flame represented timeless values that could never be extinguished and was a beacon of solidarity with all peoples of the world.  This year, he noted, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, talented athletes who have been forced to flee their homes will get a chance to chase gold, forming a team comprising refugees.  Win or lose, he said, the members of that team are champions of the spirit, and he added that he will be cheering for them with all his might.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17717.)

The Secretary-General also received the Olympic Cup Award from the International Olympic Committee, noting that this is the second time that the United Nations has received this distinction.  The first time the United Nations received the award, he added, was exactly 17 years ago — which comes to one year for each of the Sustainable Development Goals.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17718.)

The Secretary-General spoke to the press with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, telling reporters that sport has the power to unite people.  Earlier in the day, he also did an interview with the BBC, where he discussed the crisis in Syria and the role of sport in promoting human dignity, well-being and reconciliation.

While he was in Geneva, the Secretary-General met his Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and they shared their concerns about the latest fighting on the ground, while noting that the cessation of hostilities is still holding.

After the ceremony celebrating the Olympic spirit, the Secretary-General travelled to Lausanne where he visited the Olympic Museum and attended a luncheon with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and other dignitaries.

The Secretary-General returned to New York later in the day.

For information media. Not an official record.