Ban to travel to Vienna to bid farewell to UN staff

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Vienna on Tuesday to bid farewell to the staff of the UN agencies based in the Austrian capital and underscore the importance of their work in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, a UN spokesman said here Friday.

"He will also thank the Austrian authorities for their support to the UN family in Vienna," Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

Ban will step down on Dec. 31 at the end of his two five-year terms, and he will be succeeded by the incoming UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, on Jan. 1, 2017.

"During his stay, the secretary-general will hold a number of bilateral meetings with Austrian officials, including the chancellor of the Republic, Christian Kern, and Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz," the spokesman said.

In Vienna, the secretary-general will also visit the Habibi & Hawara Restaurant, where refugees work together with locals to serve fusion cuisine, he said. "The visit will provide an opportunity to showcase 'Together: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All', the UN system-wide initiative to counter xenophobia."

Before heading back to New York on Dec. 9, the secretary-general will deliver remarks at the Anti-Corruption Award Ceremony which will be attended by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, he said.

"The ceremony is an important part of the global activities to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and to underscore that, unless tackled, corruption has a corrosive effect on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals," Dujarric said.

"On the sidelines of that event, the secretary-general will have a bilateral meeting with the Amir." Endit