NEW YORK, 04 February 2016 / PRN Africa / — On Thursday evening, 28 January, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, flew from New York to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the twenty-sixth Africa Union Summit, whose theme was “2016: African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”.
Upon arrival on Friday, the Secretary-General met with Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, with whom he discussed United Nations-African Union cooperation, including on Burundi, Libya, South Sudan and Somalia.
He then participated in a town hall meeting with staff from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations country team in Africa, before attending a reception ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit, where he announced that he was allocating $100 million for underfunded emergencies in nine countries, including Ethiopia. (See Press Release SG/SM/17498.)
In the evening, he addressed the African Union Peace and Security Council on counter-terrorism and the crises in South Sudan and Burundi. (See Press Release SG/SM/17499.)
On Saturday, 30 January, the Secretary-General met with Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as with Festus Gontebanye Mogae, Chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) on South Sudan.
In his opening speech to the African Union, among other issues, the Secretary-General reiterated the need for good governance, as 17 African countries would go to the ballot box in 2016. He said that leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. (See Press Release SG/SM/17500.)
At a lunch of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, the Secretary-General noted that malaria is a formidable opponent and that reaching the goal of eliminating it by 2030 would take more than money, it would take political will and leadership.
The Secretary-General then held a series of bilateral meetings: with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali; President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya; President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; President Jacob Zuma of South Africa; President Idriss Déby Itno of Chad; Joseph Butore, the Second Vice President of Burundi; and Ihmad Homa, Second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Libya.
In the margins of the official banquet for the African Union Summit, he also met with President Hery Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar and with Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn of Ethiopia.
On Sunday, 31 January, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, before a press conference at the African Union headquarters. During this event, he urged all parties, particularly Burundian political leaders, including President Pierre Nkurunziza, to engage in inclusive dialogue.
He then participated in a high-level donors round table aimed at assisting Ethiopia to face drought. (See Press Release SG/SM/17503.)
He also met with President Alpha Condé, President of Guinea, and Foreign Minister Khemais Jhinaoui of Tunisia.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General and Madam Ban visited the Oromia region of Ethiopia, affected by drought, alongside the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin, and the Deputy Emergency Coordinator, Kyung-wha Kang. Moved and impressed by the national efforts to address the situation, the Secretary-General called for increased support from major donors to assist more than 10 million affected people and preserve the development gains made by Ethiopia in recent years.
The Secretary-General and his delegation then left Addis Ababa for Muscat, Oman, where he arrived late on Sunday evening.
SOURCE Secretary-General of the United Nations
SOURCE Secretary-General of the United Nations
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