Activities of Secretary-General in Washington, D.C., 13 December

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Washington, D.C., from New York on Tuesday morning, 13 December, to meet with members of the United States Senate on Capitol Hill.

Shortly after his arrival, the Secretary-General met with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Robert Menendez.

The Secretary-General then met with Senator James Risch, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Following those meetings, the Secretary-General met with Senator Patrick Leahy, President Pro Tempore of the Senate.  Senator Leahy had invited the Secretary-General to Washington, D.C.  The Secretary-General thanked Senator Leahy for his generous support for refugees and funding needed to help them.

The Secretary-General then participated in a meeting hosted by Senator Leahy, with members of the outgoing and incoming leadership of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Throughout the meetings, the Secretary-General thanked the Senators for their support for the United Nations, underscored the critical importance of strong United States-United Nations relations for the benefit of the multilateral system.  The Secretary-General and the Senators also discussed pressing issues on the international agenda, including Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Haiti, Syria, Yemen and the Sahel.

The Secretary-General returned to New York on Tuesday evening.