Activities of Secretary-General in Yemen, 19 November

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Sana'a on the morning of Monday, 19 November, after leaving New York late on Saturday, 17 November, on a flight to Dubai, where he stopped overnight.  The Secretary-General spent the day in Yemen to mark the first anniversary of the 23 November conclusion of the Yemen Peace and Transition Agreement and lend his personal support to that transition process.

The Secretary-General was met at the airport by Foreign Minister Abubakr A. Al-Qirbi.  Next, at the Presidential Palace Compound, the Secretary-General met President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour and they were then joined first by the Military Affairs Committee and then by the Cabinet.  The Secretary-General also met with the members of the Preparatory Committee for National Dialogue.

The Secretary-General then attended an anniversary ceremony.  In his remarks, the Secretary-General said that only a year ago Yemen had come perilously close to widespread conflict, but that now calm had returned to most parts of the country.  He said that Yemen still faced profound challenges and that transitions anywhere were difficult.  He said Yemen was now launching a highly important National Dialogue process.  The Secretary-General said this needed to be open to all, and that women must exercise a prominent and meaningful role in any process of change.  He said the views and aspirations of Yemen's young people also needed to be taken into account.  (See Press Release SG/SM/14655.)

Before leaving Sana'a, the Secretary-General spoke to reporters with the President and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and met ambassadors accredited in Yemen who are members of the Friends of Yemen group.  He also met with the United Nations country team.

In the late afternoon of Monday, 19 November, the Secretary-General flew from Sana'a to Cairo to start a shuttle mission to help secure a ceasefire between Gaza and Israel.