(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius hosts Thursday an important, round-table meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to discuss United Nations' issues and related questions, the Foreign Ministry announced.
Ban is on a two-day visit to France during which he already met with President Francois Hollande and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria on Wednesday to discuss global crises and also development and environmental issues.
The Foreign Ministry said that the meeting hosted by Fabius today will include 37 heads of UN or UN-related organisations. Among them will be International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director-General Christine Lagarde, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Chief Helen Clark, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General Jose Graziano and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
The statement said that World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan and UNICEF Chief Anthony Lake would also be participating.
The discussions are to focus on preparations for the "Sustainable Development" summit next July in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, when there will be an urgent call for additional financing for development goals and a sustained effort to reduce global poverty.
Climate issues and the threat of global warming are also likely to be discussed, especially given the impact of this phenomenon on poorer countries.
France hosts a major, global conference on "Climate Change" next December, when participants will be called upon to reduce carbon emissions in the coming decades to reduce global warming. (end) jk.rk
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