United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to arrive in South Africa on Monday for his first official visit to the country since he took the post at the helm of the world body in 1997.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said on Friday that Annan’s visit will be within the context of ongoing consultations on the proposed package of comprehensive reforms of the UN, including the UN Security Council as well as international finance institutions.
”President Thabo Mbeki will meet with the UN secretary general within the context of South Africa’s conviction that the multilateral system of global governance remains our only hope in resolving current challenges facing the international community,” Mamoepa said.
Annan is scheduled to address the national Assembly, during which he is expected to make a key statement on his tenure as secretary general.
His address is also expected to reflect on the past decade as well as look ahead at the challenges, facing the multilateral system, including the UN.
Also on Annan’s itinerary is a courtesy call on former president Nelson Mandela, and a visit to the Hector Pietersen Memorial in Soweto.
He is also scheduled to engage with organs of civil society and interact with local UN personnel.
Annan is scheduled to leave South Africa on Wednesday for Madagascar. — Sapa