Deputy UN chief arrives in Zambia for Great Lakes summit

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro arrives in Lusaka, Zambia, today to attend a special summit to be held later this week on combating the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes region.

She will deliver remarks at the 15 December meeting, which will be attended by heads of State from the Great Lakes region, as well as hold bilateral meetings with the Zambian Government and other participating delegations.

The summit is expected to adopt a number of measures to combat the illegal exploitation of natural resources, such as oil, diamonds, gold, silver and uranium, which has been linked to conflict in the region, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

While in Lusaka, Ms. Migiro will also meet with United Nations officials based in the city, as well as visit a project being carried out by the UN Country Team.

Following her stop in Zambia, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Conakry, Guinea, to represent Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the inauguration ceremony of Alpha Condé, President-elect of Guinea.

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place on 21 December.