São Paulo – The United Nations (UN) secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, arrived in Lebanon this Friday (13th) for a visit, after which he will head to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Ki-moon will discuss the development of clean energies, in Abu Dhabi, and reforms in the Arab world, in Lebanon.
In Lebanon, Ki-moon will be received by president Michel Sleiman and prime minister Najib Mikati, and he will also meet with members of the opposition. He should also pay a visit to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and attend a high-level meeting on reforms and democracies in the Arab world. The event is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, based in Beirut.
In Abu Dhabi, the secretary general will engage in a high-level meeting with the group Sustainable Energy for All and in the World Future Energy Summit (WFES).
According to the spokesperson for the secretary general, Martin Nesirki, at the summit Ki-moon will speak for the need to invest in sustainable energies so as to increase access of the growing world population to electric energy, improve energy efficiency and increase the supply of renewable power energy.
The Sustainable Energy for All initiative was established by the UN to discuss ways to generate electric power from renewable sources for 1.4 billion people who have no access to electricity, and to another billion people whose access is precarious. Ki-moon chose sustainable energy as one of five priorities for his second term. He believes that generating electric power from clean sources is a way of fighting poverty.
At the meeting in Abu Dhabi, he will ask an audience comprising researchers, businessmen and politicians to put their efforts in developing clean energy. The meeting is held on an annual basis. From January 16 to 19, participants will become acquainted with new equipment and developments in the renewable energy field, and take part in meetings and debates on the topic. The secretary general will return to the UN headquarters, in New York, on Tuesday (17).
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
