Activities of Secretary-General in Japan, 26-29 June
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres departed New York on Wednesday, 26 June, for Japan, where he arrived in Osaka, via Tokyo, on Thursday evening, 27 June. He would take part the next day in the G20 Summit.
On Friday morning, he held a press conference in which he stressed the importance of taking climate action and on implementing the 2030 Agenda, noting that we are lagging behind on both fronts.
On climate change, the Secretary-General emphasized the need for carbon neutrality by 2050 and for more ambitious nationally determined contributions. He appealed to G20 leaders for a much stronger commitment to climate action, including putting a price on carbon and ending fossil fuel subsidies.
On sustainable development, the Secretary-General emphasized the need to step up the mobilization of resources and the private sector, as well as enhance international solidarity.
The Secretary-General also held meetings with President Xi Jinping of China and with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.
With the Chinese President, the Secretary-General discussed the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Abe, the Secretary-General congratulated Japan on its successful presidency of the G20. He also underlined the importance of continued Japanese leadership on climate change.
The Secretary-General ended his day by attending a cultural event held by Japan, as the host of this year’s G20, followed by a dinner with G20 leaders.
On Saturday, 29 June, the Secretary-General’s first engagement was a trilateral climate change meeting with Foreign Ministers Wang Yi of China and Jean-Yves Le Drian of France. (See Press Release SG/SM/19649.)
Speaking to the press afterwards, the Secretary-General underlined the importance of ambition — ambition in mitigation, ambition in adaptation and ambition in finance.
He also met with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom; Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc of Viet Nam; President Abdel Fattah al Sisi of Egypt and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey.
In the evening, the Secretary-General travelled to the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi.