Activities of Secretary-General in Argentina, 20-21 March
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Buenos Aires from New York early on Wednesday morning, 20 March, to attend the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation.
His first appointment of the day was a meeting with President Mauricio Macri of Argentina. The Secretary-General congratulated Argentina for its successful hosting of the Conference on South-South Cooperation, commending the Government’s leadership and contribution to other United Nations global priorities, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Secretary-General and the President then jointly inaugurated the South-South Cooperation exhibition. The Secretary-General visited several booths, including those of China and Uruguay.
He spoke at the opening of the Conference, noting that the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, which resulted from the landmark International Conference on South-South Cooperation 40 years ago, has transformed the dynamics of international cooperation.
The Secretary-General stressed that South-South cooperation can provide solutions to several issues central to combating climate change and promoting sustainable development, including rising inequality; infrastructure and energy; and gender. (See Press Release SG/SM/19501.)
He then met with President Sebastián Piñera Echeñique of Chile and congratulated him for his country’s leadership on climate change as the host country of the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, to take place in Santiago.
The Secretary-General held talks with Bambang P.S. Brodjonegoro, Minister for National Development Planning of Indonesia. The Secretary-General commended Indonesia´s growing commitment on climate change and highlighted the country’s role as a regional bridge-builder and honest broker.
The Secretary-General also met with Adrian Werthein, President of the Latin American Jewish Congress.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Secretary-General visited the Parque de la Memoria, a monument for the victims of the military dictatorship. There, he cast a flower into the La Plata River as a symbol of respect and remembrance.
He departed Buenos Aires the same evening, arriving in New York early in the morning of Thursday, 21 March.