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Syria among issues discussed in Ban’s talks with United Arab Emirates officials

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, in November 2011.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, in November 2011.

Syria among issues discussed in Ban’s talks with United Arab Emirates officials

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today where he held a series of meetings with senior officials on issues such as the ongoing crisis in Syria, the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable energy.

In his meeting in Dubai with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Ban discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process, according to a readout provided by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson.

They also discussed women’s empowerment, as well as the important role played by the Emirates in supporting the work of the UN. He expressed the hope that the UAE would contribute further to UN-led humanitarian efforts and peacekeeping operations.

The Secretary-General also thanked the Vice President for his country’s support for the International Humanitarian City, where their meeting took place. The two men toured the complex’s extensive warehouses, used by UN and other humanitarian agencies as a logistics hub.

Also in Dubai, Mr. Ban met with Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein and thanked her for her humanitarian work, including through the International Humanitarian City, and for her role as a UN Messenger of Peace.

They discussed the MDGs, the Zero Hunger campaign and the post-2015 development agenda as well as the Syria crisis and its impact on neighbouring countries. Also while in Dubai, the Secretary-General met with Mohammad Gargash, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the UAE.

In Abu Dhabi, Mr. Ban held talks with Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the CEO of Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based commercial venture aimed at advancing clean energy to the forefront of the global power business. They discussed climate change developments and the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

Launched in September 2011, the initiative is designed to catalyze global action in support of three, interlinked and complimentary objectives, all to be achieved by 2030 – ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the global rate of improvement of energy efficiency, and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.