Activities of Secretary-General in Chile, 1-6 May

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Santiago from New York on the morning of Wednesday, 1 May.

He chaired the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), which brought together the heads of the UN system organizations.

From 2 to 3 May, Chief Executives Board Members reflected on current world affairs as they affect and are related to the UN system.  The agenda of the meeting also included discussions on “Organized Crime with a Focus on Governance and the Rule of Law” and on the “Summit of the Future:  Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow”.

On Thursday afternoon, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric.

During the bilateral meeting, the Secretary-General and the Chilean President exchanged views on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and on the situation in Haiti.  In the meeting, the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for the strong commitment of Chile to multilateralism and to the UN.  He underlined the excellent results of the Chilean presidency of the UN Economic and Social Council, as well as the leading role of Chile in climate action and protection of biodiversity and the oceans.

Following the meeting, in a joint press encounter, the Secretary-General said that the Chief Executives Board Members had discussed the Summit of the Future, to be held in September.  The Summit, he added, represents a chance for the world to reshape multilateralism to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

On the conflict in Gaza, the Secretary-General reiterated that a military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.

The Secretary-General remained in Chile on a private visit until Sunday, 5 May.  He arrived in New York the following morning, 6 May.