Activities of Secretary-General in Norway, 5-9 July
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Madam Ban Soon-taek flew on Sunday, 5 July, from New York to Oslo, Norway, to participate in the Global Launch of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 and the Oslo Summit on Education for Development.
Upon arrival on Monday, 6 July, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with Børge Brende, Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs, with whom he discussed the forthcoming Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa and United Nations efforts in Syria and Yemen, among other topics.
The Secretary-General then went to the Norwegian Red Cross Headquarters to participate in a humanitarian forum on the “role of civil society in humanitarian emergencies”, stressing that the United Nations capacity to meet humanitarian needs is under unprecedented strain. (See Press Release SG/SM/16912.)
He also spoke at an event on partnership for education. (See Press Release SG/SM/16913.)
The Secretary-General then addressed, by video teleconference, the high-level political forum of the Economic and Social Council for the Global Launch of the Millennium Development Goals Progress Report, alongside the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, Co-Chairs of the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General said the report confirms that the global efforts to achieve the Goals have saved millions of lives and improved conditions for millions more around the world. Progress, however, has not reached everyone and too many people have been left behind, he said. This event was followed by a joint press conference with the Millennium Development Goals Advocates.
On Monday evening, the Secretary-General attended a reception for the Global Summit on Education for Development. (See Press Release SG/SM/16914.)
On Tuesday, 7 July, the Secretary-General had a breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Solberg, with whom he had an in-depth discussion on the negotiations on the forthcoming post-2015 development agenda.
The two leaders then left for the Oslo Summit on Education for Development, alongside Malala Yousafzai, among other speakers.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General noted that the Summit was organized just six days before the International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa. These two meetings are not just linked on the calendar, they are here to secure commitments to deliver on the promises of the sustainable development agenda, he said. (See Press Release SG/SM/16918.)
He and Ms. Solberg then held a press encounter on the margins of the Summit, during which the Secretary-General thanked the Norwegian Government for its efforts to reach the 58 million children around the world who are still being denied their right to education.
The Secretary-General also had an audience at the Royal Palace with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon.
The Secretary-General lauded Norway’s crucial role in reaching towards a meaningful, universal agreement on climate change in Paris in December 2015.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with Julia Gillard, Chair of the Board of the Global Partnership for Education, stressing the critical need for consistent and streamlined resources for education. He also met with Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education.
He then left for Longyearbyen, in the Svalbard Islands, in the high Norwegian Arctic, to board the research vessel Lance, used by scientists to study the impact of climate change in the region. Upon boarding, the Secretary-General met with two young polar researchers that have completed a climate expedition to the North Pole.
The next day, Wednesday, 8 July, the Secretary-General approached the Blomstrandbreen Glacier to view dramatic changes in past decades and boarded a smaller boat to visit Blomstrand Island. He said he was shocked by the changes he saw since his last visit in 2009.
Around noon, the research vessel arrived in Ny Ålesund and the Secretary-General visited the Kings Bay Marine Laboratory, as well as the joint French-German Arctic Research Base AWIPEV, where he launched a weather balloon. He also heard a briefing “From Svalbard to Paris: Lessons from the Arctic on the global climate change agenda” at the Sverdrup Station, base of Norway’s Polar Institute.
After a short flight back to Longyearbyen, the Secretary-General visited the Svalbard Satellite Station, before leaving for Oslo.
The Secretary-General returned to New York on Thursday 9 July.