Activities of Secretary-General in Netherlands, 19-21 April
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Amsterdam early on Tuesday, 19 April, after an overnight flight from New York and immediately headed to The Hague by road.
In The Hague, the Secretary-General first gave the United Nations World Class Lecture at the Theatre Diligentia and took questions from students, encouraging them to be global citizens. (See Press Release SG/SM/17684.)
Next, the Secretary-General met with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, who first awarded the Secretary-General the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, the highest civilian award.
After a working lunch, the Secretary-General and Minister Koenders briefed reporters and took questions, including on refugees, Mali and that day’s terrorist attack in Kabul.
The Secretary-General then attended the official opening of the new premises of the International Criminal Court by King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands. The Secretary-General spoke at the ceremony, saying that international criminal justice is an integral part of the architecture of international relations, and that the Court is its keystone. (See Press Release SG/SM/17685.) The Secretary-General also toured the premises and viewed a statue donated by the Netherlands.
The Secretary-General next held talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and later attended a dinner hosted by the King.
On the morning of Wednesday, 20 April, the Secretary-General first attended a ceremony to mark the seventieth anniversary of the International Court of Justice. In his remarks, the Secretary-General said the rule of law was an essential thread in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He said that over seven decades the International Court of Justice had made a central contribution to the rule of law, and its presence and work remain as relevant today as ever, with its docket fuller than ever. The Secretary-General also opened the Court’s revamped museum. (See Press Release SG/SM/17690.)
Next, the Secretary-General visited the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), where he had a working lunch with Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü, who briefed him on recent developments in the organization’s work.
The Secretary-General, accompanied by Madam Ban, later met Angelina Jolie-Pitt, the Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He praised Ms. Jolie-Pitt for her sustained advocacy for refugees, especially Syrian refugees, and for raising awareness about tackling sexual violence against women in conflict.
Then the Secretary-General met with members of both chambers of the Dutch Parliament at the Parliament building before meeting the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen. (See Press Release SG/SM/17693.)
The Secretary-General next travelled to Rotterdam, where he received the World Leader Cycle Award at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. The Secretary-General addressed students and answered questions. He said that whatever path they chose, the world needed them to show allegiance not just to their immediate community, but also to the wider common good. (See Press Release SG/SM/17692.)
The Secretary-General, accompanied by Madam Ban, left the Netherlands on the morning of Thursday, 21 April, returning to New York, where they arrived the same day. On the way to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport they visited Keukenhof Garden in Lisse, to view the spring flower display.