Activities of Secretary-General in Liechtenstein, 1-2 September

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Zurich on the morning of 1 September after an overnight flight from New York.  They then flew by Swiss military helicopter to Liechtenstein, where their first engagement was a lunch hosted by Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick.

The Secretary-General next held talks with a number of Government officials, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Martin Meyer at the Government Building in Vaduz.  Among other topics, they discussed the Millennium Development Goals, the International Criminal Court, Security Council reform and global governance.  The Secretary-General thanked Liechtenstein for its contribution to humanitarian assistance through the United Nations, particularly to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).  After the talks, the Secretary-General took part in a news conference, with Ministers Frick and Meyer.

Then, after a tour of the Museum of Fine Arts of Liechtenstein, the Secretary-General travelled to the Vaduzer Saal auditorium, where he delivered a speech on global governance and answered questions from the audience.  (See Press Release SG/SM/13082)

In the speech, he told the audience of parliamentarians, politicians, business leaders and members of civil society: “Yours may be one of the world’s smaller countries, but its role is large.  If all nations were as committed to the United Nations and its noble causes, the world would be a far, far better place.”

That evening, Prince Hans-Adam II and his wife, Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein, invited the Secretary-General and Madam Ban to dinner at their residence, Vaduz Castle.

After an overnight stay, the Secretary-General left Liechtenstein for Vienna, Austria.