Activities of Secretary-General in Turkey, 22-24 May
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew on Sunday, 22 May, from Doha, Qatar, to Istanbul, Turkey, for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit.
Upon arrival in Turkey, he met with representatives from affected communities from various parts of the world, from Iraq to Uganda and Vanuatu, among others. He then attended the opening of the screening of The Last Face, a movie directed by Sean Penn.
On Monday, 23 May, the Secretary-General had a working breakfast hosted by the Global Business Coalition for Education event “Stepping Up in Crises: Finance, Delivery and Innovation in Education”. He then participated in the leaders segment of the World Humanitarian Summit, urging them to make a commitment today to support and take forward the Agenda for Humanity, and to use it to measure progress.
In his remarks to the opening ceremony of the Summit, the Secretary-General described the event as a twenty-first-century United Nations gathering, created in a unique and inclusive format because of the important role that people affected by crisis, civil society, non-governmental organizations and others play in humanitarian action. (See Press Release SG/SM/17776.)
The opening ceremony was directly followed by an announcement plenary, presided by the Secretary-General and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
After that, the Secretary-General addressed a high-level event on political leadership to prevent and end conflict. (See Press Release SG/SM/17777.) He then had a bilateral meeting with President Erdoğan, during which they discussed the situation in Syria, including on the root causes of the refugee crisis, enhancing international efforts to combat the threat posed by Da’esh.
The Secretary-General then addressed a high-level event on Humanitarian Financing — Investing in Humanity. (See Press Release SG/SM/17778.) He briefly met with Hwang Kyo-ahn, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, and visited the Innovation Marketplace, as well as a photo exhibit at the Convention Centre. He also participated in two special sessions, one on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities into Humanitarian Action, and another on Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises.
Following this, the Secretary-General met with the Deputy President of Kenya, William Samoel Ruto, with whom he discussed the situation of refugees in the country, as well as preparations for the 2017 elections.
He then proceeded to the Grand Bargain Ceremony, during which 15 donors and 15 aid organizations launched a plan leading to faster action, better engagement with people affected by crises, more funding for national organizations, greater efficiency and more accountability. He also attended a musical performance by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, before an official dinner hosted by the President of Turkey.
On Tuesday, 24 May, the Secretary-General started his day with a brief meeting with some major private donors to the Summit, before addressing a high-level event on Natural Disaster and Climate Change — Managing Risks and Crises Differently. (See Press Release SG/SM/17782.)
He also spoke at a Mayors’ Focus Session on Cities’ Response to Migration. (See Press Release SG/SM/17783.)
He met the Syria Relief Network, praising the courage and dedication of local humanitarian workers in the country. He briefly visited the Exhibition Fair at the Convention Centre before a meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of Afghanistan.
After a lunch hosted by Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, the Secretary-General gave a Facebook Live interview from the company’s booth at the Summit.
In the afternoon, he had bilateral meetings with Adel Ahmed al-Jubeir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Faiez Mustafa Serraj, President of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord of Libya, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia.
He then participated in a Regional Steering Groups Meeting, before a joint press conference with the President of Turkey.
The Secretary-General stressed that we have the wealth, knowledge and awareness to take better care of one another, but that we need action. He said that, so far, more than 400 member States, organizations and other groups have made some 1,500 commitments which will kick start transformative change from the top down, and from the ground up. He stressed that the absence of most G7 leaders from the World Humanitarian Summit did not provide an excuse for inaction.
He addressed the closing ceremony of the World Humanitarian Summit with a renewed call for action. (See Press Release SG/SM/17785.)
He then left Istanbul for Jeju Islands, Republic of Korea.