Activities of Secretary-General in Baltimore, 19 June

(Delayed for technical reasons.)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, in the morning of Sunday, 19 June, on a half-day visit to attend the seventy-ninth annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors.

In his address at the plenary session of the seventy-ninth annual Conference of Mayors, the Secretary-General commended United States mayors on their efforts on issues in common with the United Nations, including energy and the environment, crime and coexistence, transport and the toll of global recession.  (See Press Release SG/SM/13652)

Reiterating that the road to future peace and progress runs through the world’s cities and towns, the Secretary-General made two appeals to the mayors: first, on energy, climate change and creating sustainable economies; and secondly, for the mayors to use their influence to advocate for the United Nations itself.

He also congratulated the more than 1,000 mayors who have signed the United States Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, which commits their respective cities to reducing carbon emissions below 1990 levels.

The Secretary-General had earlier met with the Conference of Mayors Vice-President, Antonio Villaraigosa, the Mayor of Los Angeles, with whom he discussed the agendas of the conference including environment and energy.

The Secretary-General then attended a lunch hosted by Elizabeth Kautz, President of the United States Conference of Mayors, attended by mayors of various cities, including those of Burnsville, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The Secretary-General returned to New York in the afternoon.