Activities of Secretary-General in Ethiopia, 24-26 May

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Addis Ababa on Friday evening, 24 May, on a flight from Entebbe, Uganda.

On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General attended the opening ceremony of the Anniversary Summit Session of the African Union and its afternoon session.

During the day, the Secretary-General had a series of bilateral meetings with other visiting leaders:  Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide of Norway; Secretary of State of the United States John Kerry; and Foreign Minister Hamady Ould Hamady of Mauritania.

The Secretary-General also attended a gala dinner at which he made a speech to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization of African Unity and African Union.  (See Press Release SG/SM/15049.)

On the morning of Sunday, 26 May, the Secretary-General took part in the first meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism for the Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.  (See Press Release SG/SM/15050.)

The Secretary-General attended an AIDS Watch Africa event hosted by the Ethiopian Prime Minister.  (See Press Release SG/SM/15051.)

He also had a series of bilateral meetings with President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, President Michael Chilufya Sata of Zambia, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Vice-President Manuel Domingos Vicente of Angola, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

The Secretary-General departed Addis Ababa the same afternoon and returned to New York, transferring in Dubai.  He arrived in New York early on Monday, 27 May.