Activities of Secretary-General in Thailand, 16-17 November

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon‑taek, arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, from Bangladesh shortly before noon on Wednesday, 16 November.

His first appointment in the Thai capital was a meeting with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

He told reporters at a stakeout afterwards that during their discussions, he congratulated her for being the first female Prime Minister of Thailand.  He said they also talked about the flooding in the country; Thailand-United Nations cooperation, and Thailand’s work as Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council, among other issues.

After addressing United Nations staff in Bangkok, he attended a round table on universal health coverage before visiting an exhibit on universal health care in Thailand.

The Secretary-General then flew by helicopter over the flood-affected areas of Bangkok before visiting an evacuation centre in the capital sheltering hundreds of evacuees.

Speaking to the press at the centre, he said he was deeply saddened and humbled by what he saw, expressing his condolences to those who have lost family members and property.

He ended his day with a dinner hosted by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), also attended by several ambassadors based in Thailand.

The Secretary-General departed for Indonesia on the morning of Thursday, 17 November.