Activities of Secretary-General in Tunisia, 10-11 October

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Tunis early on Friday morning, 10 October, from his visit to Washington, D.C.

His first meeting was with President Moncef Marzouki.  Following their discussions, the Secretary-General spoke to the media and said the forthcoming elections would mark an important milestone on Tunisia’s road to democracy.

He also underscored that Tunisia had stayed true to the ideas of the Arab spring.  “Here”, the Secretary-General added, “we can see that with integrity, leadership, civic engagements and commitment, peaceful revolution leads to promising stability.”

That meeting was followed by a discussion with Mustapha Ben Jaafar, President of the National Constitutional Assembly, as well as with the Presidents of a number of parliamentary groups.

The Secretary-General then met with Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa.

The President of Tunisia then hosted a lunch for the Secretary-General, his delegation, Government ministers and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

Later in the afternoon, the Secretary-General had a brief meeting with Foreign Minister Mongi Hamdi.  Both then spoke to journalists at the Foreign Ministry.  He told press that the United Nations was here to support Tunisia in a period of democratic transition.  He also stressed that Tunisia’s progress was an example to the region and the wider world.  “You prove”, Mr. Ban said, “the power of pursuing dialogue.  And you demonstrate the value of consensual politics.”

In between meetings the Secretary-General was given an opportunity to tour the centre of Tunis.  Accompanied by Prime Minister Jomaa, he walked down Habib Bourguiba Avenue, one of the city’s main arteries.  From there he visited Tunis’ 200 year-old market, known as the soukh.

Later that day, the Secretary-General met with the Presidents of the Independent Commissions, namely the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Independent Commission on Corruption and the Independent Commission on Human Rights.

He concluded the evening with an official dinner hosted by the Prime Minister.

On Saturday morning, 11 October, the Secretary-General met over breakfast with the senior leadership of the United Nations country team in Tunisia, as well as with some representatives of the country team in Libya who had relocated temporarily to Tunis.

He then had a town hall meeting with United Nations staff from both Tunisia and Libya.

His last official engagement in Tunis was a meeting with representatives of Tunisia’s civil society sector.  He congratulated them on their active participation in the affairs of their country.  Mr. Ban said that one of the main reasons Tunisia has fared better than other “Arab Spring” countries is because of its robust civil society.

Before leaving Tunis, the Secretary-General and his delegation were invited to a farewell lunch hosted by the Foreign Minister.

The Secretary-General left for Tripoli, Libya, later that afternoon.