UN chief to travel to Qatar, Turkey, South Korea, Japan

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to address the 16th Doha Forum in Qatar next week and later fly to Istanbul, Turkey, for the first ever World Humanitarian Summit before he travels to the Republic of Korea and Japan, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Thursday.

The secretary-general is in Lisbaon, Portugal, on Thursday, where he met with the foreign minister, Augusto Ernesto dos Santos Silva, and they discussed the situation in Guinea-Bissau, Portugal's contribution to peacekeeping, law of the sea and ocean affairs as well as the evolving situations in Mozambique and Brazil, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

On May 21, the secretary-general will address the opening session of the 16th Doha Forum in Qatar, a meeting bringing world leaders together on issues related to development and free trade in the Middle East, Arab countries and the world, the spokesman said.

"The summit will be a unique opportunity to generate the momentum for change and send a message of solidarity and support to the more than 125 million people in immediate crisis."

Following the summit, the secretary-general will participate in the Jeju Forum, in the Republic of Korea, a regional multilateral dialogue for promoting peace and prosperity in East Asia, Dujarric said, adding that Ban will then travel to Ise-Shima, Japan, on May 27, to participate in the Outreach Session of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit hosted by Japan.

The secretary-general will return to the Republic of Korea for the opening session, on May 30, of the UN Department of Public Information and Non-governmental Oragnization (DPI/NGO) Conference in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.

More than 2,000 NGO representatives from all regions of the world will be in attendance to focus on the role of education in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 targets to be reached by 2030, he added.

Source: XINHUA