ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN NIGERIA, 12-13 JULY

The Secretary-General arrived on Friday 12 July in Abuja, Nigeria, after ending his visit to Sudan.

He met with the United Nations country team shortly upon arrival.

Then, he attended a round table on African business leaders on the challenges ahead in the private sector in the implementation of the Global Compact and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  He then met with a group representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the role of civil society in conflict prevention, peace-building and human development.

The Secretary-General later described as “lively” his discussions with the business leaders and NGO representatives.  “These exchanges reminded me once again how important civil society is to a vigorous democracy,” he said in his opening remarks in reference to the two meetings at a press conference on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, he met with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo for a breakfast meeting.

The Secretary-General told reporters at a press conference after the breakfast meeting that he and the President had discussed conflicts around Africa, AIDS, the African Union, regional issues, including those of the Economic Community of West African States, and the Nigerian-United Nations relationship.

He also said that he had been “stressing all along from (the G8 Summit in) Kananaskis (Canada) to Durban to Sudan and here that the conflicts that afflict Africa, affect all of us.  We all have a stake in ensuring that they are resolved. We all have to accept that as long as these crises and wars go on, our region will not be seen as a continent at peace, and when we are seen as a continent in crisis, that deters investors from coming to do business in our part of the world. And it does dissuade even African investors from investing their money.”

He added, “So if we really are going to take off and we are going to make a difference and focus on African development and build our African Union, we must first resolve the conflicts.”

While in Abuja, the Secretary-General also spoke on the telephone with Clare Short, the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for International Development.

The Secretary-General arrived in New York late Saturday evening.