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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

McKinnon to meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in New York

5 February 2007

McKinnon to meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in New York

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will hold talks with the new United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during a two-day visit to New York from 5-6 February 2007.

Mr McKinnon will also meet with Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno, and the head of the Peacebuilding Support Office, Assistant Secretary-General Carolyn McAskie.

Discussions are expected to focus on peacebuilding, including preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution; good governance and anti-corruption initiatives; democracy-building and human rights; sustainable development; and the concerns of small states.

The role of multilateralism in tackling today’s global political and developmental challenges is another issue that is expected to feature in the talks.

“The UN can further its goals by working more closely with other multilateral organizations like the Commonwealth,” Mr McKinnon said. “Multilateralism can deliver results in many faceted ways. Through strengthened co-ordination, the Commonwealth and the UN can enhance the effectiveness of political, security and aid programmes.

“A coherent approach in capacity-building will improve the efficiency of our development work. We must deepen collaboration in our joint efforts to build peace and security around the world so that all nations, particularly the least developed and developing countries, can realise their targets for progress.”

The Secretary-General will update his UN counterpart and other senior UN officials on the preliminary discussions of the Commonwealth’s Commission on Respect and Understanding led by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, which is taking a broad approach to dealing with alienation and bridging divides across communities. The UN’s initiative on ‘Alliance of Civilisations’ is engaged in similar work to overcome inter-community divisions and differences.

Note to Editors

For media inquiries, please contact Geraldine Goh, Communications Adviser, Communications and Public Affairs Division; Tel: +44 7730-900-200. Email: g.goh@commonwealth.int

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