Secretary-General to set off on week-long official trip

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will embark on a week-long trip this weekend that will take him to Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland, Malta and Belgium.

Before leaving the United States, Mr. Ban will deliver a keynote address at Princeton University in New Jersey on Friday for the 2009 Colloquium on Public and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.

From the Summit of the Americas in Port-au-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, he will travel on to Geneva, Switzerland to attend the start of the anti-racism Durban Review Conference on 20 April.

The following day, Mr. Ban will head to Valletta, Malta, where he will meet with the President and Prime Minister, before addressing the country’s parliament. The University of Malta will also present the Secretary-General with an Honoris causa doctorate in recognition of his contribution to raising awareness on climate change.

The Secretary-General’s last port of call will be Brussels, Belgium, for the Donors’ Conference on Somalia on 23 April before returning to New York the next day.