Malawi Pres. meets Ban Ki-Moon

Malawi President Peter Mutharika on Wednesday held talks with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon in New York, USA.

Mutharika is in New York attending the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly whose theme is ‘Sustainable Development Goals: a Universal Push to Transform the World’.

The president’s discussions with Ban, 72, who is due to leave office before the end of the year after serving two five-year terms, were held in camera at the UN Headquarters.

After the talks that lasted almost half an hour, Mutharika, escorted by the UN chief, signed the visitors’ book before the two went for a brief photo session. Details of the discussions were not disclosed.

A South Korean statesman and politician, Ban, 72, is the eighth UN Secretary General. He took office on 1 January 2007, succeeding Kofi Annan of Ghana.

On 21 June 2011, the UN General Assembly unanimously re-elected Ban to serve until December 2016. As Secretary-General, he has been responsible for several major reforms on peacekeeping and UN employment practices, according to the search engine Wikipedia.

Ban is said to have particularly strong views on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly.

His priorities have been to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges.

Ban has sought to be a bridge-builder to give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and to strengthen the 193-member organization, established after the Second World War.

Mutharika’s meeting with Ban was one of several engagements he has fulfilled on behalf of the Malawi Government since arriving on September 16.-Mana