In progress at UNHQ

SG/T/2888

Activities of Secretary-General in United Arab Emirates, 24-26 February

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, late in the evening of Sunday, 24 February, on a flight from Addis Ababa.

On the morning of Monday, 25 February, the Secretary-General first visited the Burj Khalifa tower, the world's tallest building, where he had a meeting on the 154th floor with Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Next, also at the Burj Khalifa, the Secretary-General met Dr. Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates.

The Secretary-General then flew by helicopter to the International Humanitarian City near Dubai for a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.  The Secretary-General and the Vice-President also met staff at the International Humanitarian City offices and toured its warehouse complex, used by the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies.

After this, the Secretary-General flew on to Abu Dhabi by helicopter for a meeting with Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the CEO of Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based commercial venture aimed at advancing clean energy to the forefront of the global power business.  He also had meetings with the United Nations country team and United Nations staff based in the United Arab Emirates.

In the early hours of Tuesday, 26 February, the Secretary-General left Abu Dhabi on a flight through Frankfurt to Vienna, where he arrived the same morning.

For information media. Not an official record.