UN Secretary General arrives in Brazil on Thursday

24 May2010 - On Thursday, May 27, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, arrives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Secretary General will attend the III United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum, taking place in Rio between days 27 and 29 May 29, with the theme "Uniting Cultures, Building Peace."

It is the second visit of the Secretary General to Brazil. This time, in two days, he will have a busy agenda. He will visit the community call Babilônia / Chapéu Mangueira, where he will meet with community leaders and chat with adolescents from diverse communities in Rio. He will also pay homage to the Brazilian military that lost their lives in Haiti during the earthquake which hit the island earlier this year. In addition, he will participate in a press conference to talk about his visit to the country and in the opening ceremony of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum. The Secretary General will come accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Ban Soon-taek.

In Rio, he will also have bilateral meetings with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and with various national authorities. On the evening of Friday, May 28, he will leave Brazil for an official visit to eight African countries.

On his first visit to Brazil, in November 2007, the Secretary-General was in an alcohol plant in the town of Jaboticabal, in Sao Paulo State, where he met with President Lula in Brasília. After, he visited the Amazon rainforest.

Access the visit's full programme, including information for press (in Portuguese).

Access the biography of the Secretary-General and his wife's biography (in Portuguese).

About the Alliance of Civilizations

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations seeks to address widening rifts between communities and societies by reaffirming a paradigm of mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious backgrounds and by helping to mobilize concerted action towards this end. It aims to bridge the world's divides and to build trust and understanding across cultures and communities worldwide.

The Alliance of Civilizations was established in 2005 as a UN initiative jointly supported by the President of the Government of Spain and the Prime Minister of Turkey. It emerged out of a conviction that, in order to achieve sustainable peace, long-standing divisions between cultures need to be addressed.

In April 2007, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, as High-Representative for the Alliance. Under his leadership, the Alliance embarked on an extensive program of work which includes a range of practical initiatives and projects. The Alliance is supported by a Group of Friends, a growing network of over 100 governments and international organizations.

On 28-29 May 2010, a powerful network of over 2,000 political and corporate leaders, mayors, civil society activists, youth, journalists, foundations, international organizations, and religious leaders will come together in Rio and agree on joint actions to improve relations across cultures, combat prejudice and build the conditions for long-term peace [Read more].

More information about the Alliance of Civilizations and about the III Forum III is available at: www.unicrio.org.br

Information for the event, including registration and programme can be found in: www.aliancadecivilizacoes.mre.gov.br/pt-br/

Additional information:

Valeria Schilling
Communication Advisor
Information Centre of the United Nations in Brazil (UNIC Rio)
Tel: 21-2253-2211
Mobile: 21-8202-0171
valeria.schilling@unic.org

Gustavo Barreto
Communication Assistant
Information Centre of the United Nations in Brazil (UNIC Rio)
Tel: 21-2253-2211
Mobile: 21-8185-0582
gustavo.barreto@unic.org

Source: Information Centre of the United Nations in Brazil (UNIC Rio)