Activities of Secretary-General in China, 3-6 September
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon‑taek, flew on Friday, 2 September, from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Hangzhou, China, where they arrived on Saturday, 3 September.
The Secretary-General met in the afternoon with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, reiterating the support and solidarity of the United Nations with the Government and people of Turkey following the coup attempt of 15 July, and discussing the situation in Syria.
The Secretary-General then received the instruments to join the Paris Agreement on climate change from the President of China, Xi Jinping, and the President of the United States, Barack Obama. In his remarks, he stressed that by formally joining the Paris Agreement, China and the United States had added powerful momentum to the drive for the Agreement to enter into force this year. (See Press Release SG/SM/18027.)
The next day, the Secretary-General gave a press conference ahead of the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit, during which he urged all leaders, particularly G20 countries, to accelerate their domestic ratification processes so we can turn the aspirations of Paris into the transformative climate action the world so urgently needs.
In the afternoon, he joined G-20 leaders and other invited officials for the opening ceremony of the G-20 Summit, and attended the first working session.
In the evening, the Secretary-General and Madam Ban also participated in the welcome ceremony and dinner hosted by Xi Jinping, President of China and Mrs. Peng Liyuan.
On Monday, 5 September, the Secretary-General participated in the other working sessions of the G-20 Summit, addressing session IV on Inclusive and Interconnected Development. He stressed that to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we need change in our economies, in our societies, and in our relationship with the environment, with balanced, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. (See Press Release SG/SM/18030.)
He also met with Prince Mohamad Bin Salman Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with whom he discussed support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the situation in Yemen.
The Secretary-General and Madam Ban attended the closing ceremony of the G‑20 Summit in the evening, and left the next morning for Vientiane, Lao People‘s Democratic Republic.