Press Release

The Secretary-General of the United Nations visits the UN House in Suriname

03 July 2022

On Sunday July 3rd, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, visited the UN House in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. His visit to the UN House was part of an official two-day visit to Suriname to attend the opening ceremony of the 43rd Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This was the UN chief’s first-ever visit to Suriname.

UN SG meets with UN Suriname country team
Caption: UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets with United Nations Country Team in Suriname
Photo: © UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Mr. Guterres, who had arrived in Suriname a day earlier, had already conducted several field visits to experience the country’s biodiversity and its people firsthand. At the UN House, the UN chief met with the UN Country Team and afterwards attended a special UN Suriname Town Hall meeting held in his honor.

During the meeting with the UN Country Team, the Secretary-General received an overview of the work executed by the UN in Suriname under the recently signed cooperation framework, the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDCF) 2022 – 2026. The UN chief provided strategic input on the focus areas identified during his field trips and meeting with the President of Suriname, H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi. Mr. Guterres expressed that he was pleased with the achievements and the level of collaboration between the agencies, as part of the ongoing UN Reform.

At the Town Hall meeting, the Secretary-General greeted staff with warm words of encouragement and proceeded to answer a few questions posed by national staff. At the end of the meeting UNDP presented to the Secretary-General a gift from the Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden in Suriname (VIDS). The Town Hall closed with a picture with staff to commemorate the Secretary-General’s inaugural visit to Suriname.

Adley Breeveld

Adley Breeveld

RCO
Communications Focal Point

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