Activities of Secretary-General in Jordan, 26-28 March

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, flew on Saturday, 26 March, from Erbil, Iraq, to Amman, Jordan, for a joint visit with Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group.

On Sunday, 27 March, the two leaders visited the Zaatari refugee camp, including a UN-Women oasis, a community centre and a school.

Back in Amman, the Secretary-General met with Abdullah Ensour, Prime Minister of Jordan, before an audience with His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  In the afternoon, the Secretary-General also met with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine.

He then proceeded to a meeting with Nasser Judeh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, and Imad Fakhoury, Minister for Planning and International Cooperation of Jordan.  In a joint press conference following that meeting, the Secretary-General commended Jordan’s generosity and compassion for the Syrian refugees and called on the international community to further support the country.

In the early evening, the Secretary-General participated in an open discussion with Jordanian youth at the University of Jordan, encouraging them to commit and engage in the future of their country.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17631.)

Then the Secretary-General met with Ahmet Davutoğlu, Prime Minister of Turkey, with whom he discussed the current situation in Syria, including the political negotiations in Geneva.

The Secretary-General left Amman on Monday, 28 March, for Tunisia.