Los Angeles Next Stop On Ban’s US Tour

Los Angeles Next Stop On Ban’s Ongoing Tour Of United States Cities

New York, Nov 7 2008 3:10PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon embarks on his first visit to the United States city of Los Angeles, where he is scheduled to meet with senior state and city Government officials and leaders in the entertainment industry, as well as address students and faculty at the University of California.

Los Angeles is the latest stop on Mr. Ban’s tour of major US cities since taking office in January 2007, which also includes San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta.

Among those he will meet with next Thursday are California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.

UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters that as part of the programme, Mr. Ban will reach out to Hollywood and meet with representatives and leaders from the creative community and the entertainment industry.

“These meetings aim to build partnerships to highlight issues of global concern and tell the UN story,” she stated.

Mr. Ban embarked on a similar mission in June, when he travelled to Jackson, Wyoming, to open the inaugural Global Insight Summit convened by the UN and the Jackson Hole Film Institute.

That event brought UN officials together with entertainment leaders to explore how film and television can better be put to use to heighten awareness of key global issues and the world body’s role in tackling them.

During his stay in California’s largest city, the Secretary-General will also speak at the University of California Los Angeles, where he is to receive a UCLA medal in recognition of his contribution to world peace and security.

>From Los Angeles, Mr. Ban will head to Washington D.C. to attend the meeting of the leaders of the so-called Group of 20 (G20) countries on the global financial crisis.

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