Ban set to address global events in Morocco, France

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will embark on a two-nation trip that will take him to Morocco and France later this week, with the United Nations chief set to address global gatherings in both countries, it was announced today.

On Friday, he will speak at the opening session of this year’s World Policy Conference organized by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Marrakesh.

The three-day gathering will draw some 140 representatives from governments, the private sector, academia and the media to discuss global governance issues.

Mr. Ban will also meet with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and the UN Country Team in the capital, Rabat.

He will then travel on to Strasbourg, where on 19 October he will address the Council of Europe on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights. Later that day, he will also give a speech at a plenary session of the European Parliament.

While in the French city, Mr. Ban will hold talks with the Council of Europe’s Secretary-General and with the President of the European Parliament.

He will also take part in an extraordinary meeting of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and be welcomed officially by the Senator-Mayor of Strasbourg.