The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Espen Barth Eide, and congratulated him on his recent appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway.

The Secretary-General expressed gratitude for Norway’s enormous and consistent support for United Nations activities in many areas.  Both referred to Norway’s Chairmanship of the Ad Hoc Liaison Group, and the pressing need for additional resources for the Palestinian Authority, for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), as well as for the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people.

They discussed the importance of United Nations reform in various aspects, including the mobility of staff, especially in a time of financial austerity.