The Secretary General of the United Nations in Montréal - Mr. Ban Ki-moon to visit "Canada's United Nations city"

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 5, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - On the occasion of his trip to Canada, the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, will make a visit next week to the metropolis at the invitation of the Mayor of Montréal, the Honourable Mr. Denis Coderre. This will be the third meeting between the two men, who met for the first time in Chicago, in December 2014, on the 70^th anniversary of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and again last December, in Paris, during the COP21 Conference on climate change.

"Its many head offices of international United Nations agencies such as ICAO, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montréal Protocol or the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, make Montréal Canada's United Nations city. It is therefore a real privilege to welcome His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, an exceptional man who, for nearly 10 years, has put his diplomatic talents to use in the service of peace, the fight against inequality and the protection of the planet. Within the United Nations, His Excellency is a strong supporter of the role of cities on the international scene. In this perspective, I see his visit as the consecration of all the efforts by Montréal over the past two years to get involved in major global issues such as sustainable development and living together," said the Honourable Mr. Coderre.

During his stay in Montréal, which begins on Friday February 12, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon will meet with the mayor at City Hall. The Secretary General will also give a speech at McGill University and will meet with ICAO leaders and Ambassadors. In the evening, he will be the guest of honour at an official dinner to be hosted by the city at the Bonsecours Market. His trip to Montréal will end Saturday morning with a visit to the Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence (CPRMV), a Montréal initiative launched last year.

"Since its inception, the CPRMV has attracted the attention and the interest of the international community, especially since nations today are seeking tools to counter radicalism and hate speech. We are flattered that the Secretary General of the United Nations chose to visit the CPRVM, thus recognizing the merits of our approach to improving living together in Montréal," concluded the Mayor of Montreal.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

Catherine Maurice, Press Secretary, Office of the Mayor and the Executive Committee, 514 346-7598