Secretary-General travels to Denmark and Finland next week

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is set to visit Denmark next week, followed by his first official visit to Finland, a spokesperson for the United Nations announced today.

Marie Okabe told reporters in New York that Mr. Ban arrives on Sunday for a two-day visit to Copenhagen, where he will address the opening of the World Business Summit on Climate Change, and meet with Al Gore, former United States Vice President and Chairman of Generation Investment Management. He will also hold a joint news conference with the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy.

While in Copenhagen, the Secretary-General will meet with Queen Margrethe II, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, for Development Cooperation, and for Defense.

He will also attend a lunch meeting on “Global Compact and Climate” hosted by the Minister for Development Cooperation and the Nordic Compact Network, and deliver remarks at a dinner co-hosted by the Global Compact & the UN Foundation with leading top executives attending the World Business Summit.

Negotiations are ongoing ahead of a major UN conference in Copenhagen this December where nations are expected to reach agreement on a new greenhouse gas emissions pact. Mr. Ban has stressed the need to achieve a climate change deal in December that is “ambitious, comprehensive and fair.”

In a video message to a climate change forum in Seoul today, Mr. Ban noted that cities not only lie at the heart of the problem, but must also be part of the solution.

The Secretary-General’s visit will also include a public dialogue meeting entitled “Relaying the World – Global Crisis/Global Answers: The Role of the United Nations” with Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller. In addition, he will officially open the Copenhagen headquarters of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

Mr. Ban then heads to Helsinki, Finland, on Monday evening for a two-day visit, where he is expected to meet with President Tarja Halonen, as well as Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen.

While in Helsinki, he will address the Finnish Parliament and have a bilateral luncheon meeting with the speaker.

The Secretary-General will also meet with the former President and Nobel laureate, Martti Ahtisaari, and pay a visit to the UN University – World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER).