 Bonn,
16 July 2008 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
began a two-day visit to Germany on Tuesday starting with
a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin,
with whom he discussed global issues like climate change,
food security, the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and
other important topics.
On Wednesday he visited Bonn, where he was received by
the Lady Mayor, Bärbel Dieckmann at the old town hall.
Ban Ki-moon delighted the citizens of the City of Bonn by
echoing the words of President John F. Kennedy in Berlin,
stating that "Ich bin ein Bonner". He then went
on to sign the Golden Book of the City of Bonn. With his
signature, he wanted to "express the gratitude of the
entire family of the United Nations" towards the city,
"Bonn is an important European location for the United
Nations and a generous host for our work and for the hundreds
of UN staff members stationed here", praised Ban Ki-moon,
who visited the UN Campus together with his wife Ban Soon-taek.
Ban Ki-moon went on to visit the United Nations Campus
in Bonn attending a Town Hall Meeting with UN staff in the
former Bundestag which is part of the new World Conference
Center. In his speech to UN Bonn staff, the Secretary General
reiterated that the city of Bonn was “a globalized
city and a city which is a friend to the United Nations”.
He then took some time to answer questions from United Nations
staff members, who were pleased to be able to welcome their
new Secretary-General in Bonn for the first time.
Ban Ki-moon’s visit underlined the importance of Bonn
as the main location for UN agencies in Germany.
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