On 15 December, the Secretary-General had meetings with H.E. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America; H.E. Joe Biden, Vice-President of the United States of America; and H.E. Susan Rice, National Security Advisor to the President of the United States of America. On his last official visit to Washington before departing his post on 31 December, the Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation to the United States as the host country of the United Nations and the UN’s largest contributor.  He also thanked the President for his administration’s commitment to multilateralism and for his leadership on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the President’s summits on UN peacekeeping and refugees and migrants, and the Iran nuclear agreement.   

The Secretary-General, the President, Vice-President and National Security Advisor also exchanged views on global issues of common concern, including ongoing humanitarian crises, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and South Sudan.  

The President thanked the Secretary-General for his committed leadership of the United Nations over the last ten years.