Activities of Secretary-General in India, 26-29 April
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in New Delhi, India, on the afternoon of Thursday, 26 April.
His first appointment in the Indian capital was a meeting with Satya Paul Agarwal, Secretary-General of the Indian Red Cross Society, followed by a meeting with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health and Family Welfare.
The Secretary-General wrapped up his first day with a dinner with the United Nations country team.
On the morning of Friday, 27 April, he held a town hall meeting with United Nations staff serving in India and paid tribute at the Gandhi Memorial.
The Secretary-General then received an honorary doctorate degree at Jamia Islamia Millia Islamia University. In his remarks, the Secretary-General said that “India is a union of cultures, religions [and] languages, all coming together within the fabric of tolerance, understanding and collaboration”. (See Press Release SG/SM/14259)
In the afternoon, he met with S.M. Krishna, Minister for External Affairs; Meira Kumar, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Lower House); Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister; and Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance.
The Secretary-General held a press conference before attending a reception in his honour hosted by Shri E Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs.
On the morning of Saturday, 28 April, the Secretary-General travelled to Mumbai. His first appointment there was a luncheon with business leaders on the “Every Woman Every Child” initiative. (See Press Release SG/SM/14261)
The Secretary-General then went to Cama Hospital, where he met with expecting mothers and others. At the hospital, he also gave an interview to the Indian television station, NDTV.
He also visited the Grant Medical College, where he met patients receiving antiretroviral treatment.
The Secretary-General then met with Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister of Marashtra State, and was interviewed by the newspaper, The Times of India.
Before wrapping up his visit to Mumbai, he met with the creative community and attended an event hosted by Millennium Development Goal Advocates Mukesh Ambani and Ray Chambers.
The Secretary-General departed from Mumbai for Yangon, Myanmar, on the following morning, Sunday, 29 April.