UN chief to travel to Washington D.C., The Hague

UN chief Ban Ki-moon will depart New York for Washington D.C., capital of the United States, to attend the 2016 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

The UN secretary-general is expected to speak on Friday at the high-level meetings on forced displacement and the New Financing Initiative to Support the Middle East and North Africa, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric at a news briefing here.

He will also deliver opening remarks at an event marking the partnership between the United Nations and the World Bank Group Friday, Dujarric said.

On Saturday, the UN chief will speak at the opening plenary of the Infrastructure Forum as well as the Development Committee Plenary before leaving for New York.

Ban will leave New York for The Hague, the Netherlands, Monday, where he will attend the official opening ceremony of the Permanent Premises of the International Criminal Court as well as the 70th anniversary of the International Court of Justice.

During his stay in the Netherlands, Ban is scheduled to meet with high-level Dutch officials, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, as well as the President of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate and members of the Parliament.

The UN chief will be back in New York on April 21. On April 22, he will host the signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement for Climate Change in New York.

Source: XINHUA