Activities of Secretary-General in Switzerland, 4-6 October

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Madam Ban Soon-taek arrived in  Geneva from Copenhagen in the evening of Sunday, 4 October, and attended a dinner with Heads of State hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The Secretary-General began his day on Monday with an address at the opening of the Telecom World 2009 conference hosted by ITU, and he told the delegates that information and communications technology was vital to confronting one of the greatest problems we face as a planet: the threat of climate change.  (See Press Release SG/SM/12518)

He urged participants to share ideas on creative ways to use information and communications technology to usher in a new green economy.  “Let us work together to find new ways to cut waste, reduce emissions, create jobs, protect against disasters and promote better standards of living,” he said.

While at the Palexpo, where the Telecom World 2009 was being held, the Secretary-General toured the Telecom exhibition, before addressing the ITU Youth Forum, and later attended a luncheon with Heads of State hosted by ITU at the Villa Sarasin next door.  (See Press Release SG/SM/12519)

At a joint press conference with Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of ITU; Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; and Jianzhou Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of China Mobile Communications Corporation following the opening of the Telecom World 2009, the Secretary-General read a statement condemning an attack at the office of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Islamabad, Pakistan, that took place earlier in the day.  (See Press Release SG/SM/12516)

Then in the afternoon, the Secretary-General introduced former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who spoke on “Resetting the Nuclear Disarmament Agenda” at the Geneva Lecture Series, which took place at Palais des Nations.  The lecture was followed by a question and answer session.  (See Press Release SG/SM/12521)

In the early evening, he attended the opening of a photo exhibit on the unification of Germany.  This was followed by a private dinner hosted by Green Cross International and President Gorbachev.

On Tuesday morning, the Secretary-General attended a round table of Heads of State and chief executive officers attending the ITU Telecom World.  (See Press Release SG/SM/12524)

He then departed Geneva for New York.