Activities of Secretary-General in Belgium, 15-16 April

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Brussels, Belgium on the afternoon of Sunday, 15 April.

He held a private meeting with Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), before giving an interview to two journalists from the Metro newspaper group.

Following the interview, he met with Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister of Belgium.  Later that evening, he attended a private dinner hosted by Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.  His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium was also in attendance.

On Monday, 16 April, the Secretary-General held a meeting with EU Development Ministers hosted by Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development.

He then attended the opening of the EU Summit on Sustainable Energy for All.  He told the Summit that energy poverty is a threat to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  He said that sustainable energy needs to be brought to all people starting with those who need it most, what he called the bottom 3 billion.

The Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton; as well as the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy.

During the day he held two joint press stakeouts, first with José Manuel Barroso and then with Herman Van Rompuy.

In the late afternoon, the Secretary-General and Madam Ban Soon-taek left by plane for Luxembourg.