Activities of Secretary-General in Indonesia, 19-21 March
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Jakarta on Monday evening, 19 March, after an overnight flight from New York via Hong Kong.
Early on Tuesday morning, the Secretary-General met the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Surin Pitsuwan, to discuss cooperation and regional developments.
He then travelled from the capital to Bogor, where he held talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and members of the Indonesian Government at the presidential palace.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Secretary-General said the discussions had covered a wide range of topics, starting from bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and the United Nations, and encompassing cooperation between the United Nations and ASEAN
He said they also discussed Indonesia’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping, the Millennium Development Goals, this year’s “Rio+20” Summit, sustainable development and democratic governance, as well as regional matters, including Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Thailand, and global challenges such as Syria.
Later, the Secretary-General travelled to Sendul in West Java to visit the Indonesia Peace and Security Centre, a new training centre for peacekeepers.
In a speech at the Centre, the Secretary-General commended Indonesia’s intention to boost still further its contribution to United Nations peacekeeping. He also said he had asked the President to consider providing badly needed helicopters for peacekeeping operations. The Secretary-General and Madam Ban also planted trees at the centre. (See Press Release SG/SM/14176)
Back in Jakarta, the Secretary-General met United Nations staff and attended a reception at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.
The next morning, Wednesday, 21 March, the Secretary-General met Australia’s Secretary of Defence, Duncan Lewis, to discuss global developments, including Myanmar and Timor-Leste, as well as Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria.
He later gave a keynote address at the Jakarta International Defence Dialogue conference, also attended by the Indonesian President. He said the past year had been remarkable for the international community, with peaceful transformations in some Arab countries and terrible violence in others, above all in Syria. He said the year had also been remarkable for the sheer scope and dimension of the demands placed on the international community and the United Nations. (See Press Release SG/SM/14177)
That afternoon, the Secretary-General, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, left Jakarta and flew to Kuala Lumpur.