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Ban heads to Denmark to meet Prime Minister and Olympic chief

Ban heads to Denmark to meet Prime Minister and Olympic chief

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden Per Westerberg
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today set off to Denmark on the second-leg of his European trip, where he is slated to meet with the country’s Prime Minister and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

After meeting this morning with the Speaker of Parliament in Stockholm, as well as representatives of various Swedish political parties and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Mr. Ban headed for Copenhagen, the Danish capital.

Accompanied by his wife, the Secretary General plans to meet with IOC President Jacques Rogge and Mrs. Rogge this evening in Copenhagen, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.

On Saturday, Mr. Ban is scheduled to give a speech to the IOC Congress, focusing on how the idea of a ‘Green Games’ is becoming a reality through the efforts of the Olympic Committee’s Sports for the Environment agenda.

The IOC has been meeting in Copenhagen this week and today announced it has awarded the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro.

While in Denmark, Mr. Ban will also address the University of Copenhagen on issues surrounding the international high-level climate change conference the city will host in December, which aims to finalize a deal on global greenhouse gas emissions when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.