UNHQ, New York
18 March 2016
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General:

In the build-up to the High-Level meeting on Global Responsibility Sharing for Syrian Refugees that will take place on 30 March in Geneva, the Secretary-General will leave New York next Wednesday, 23 March, for a joint visit to Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia, alongside the President of the World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Kim. The Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank will start their visit in Lebanon on Thursday, 24 March. Accompanied by Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali al-Madani, President of the Islamic Development Bank, they will meet with the President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, as well as with several other senior officials.

They will also visit communities hosting Syrian and Palestinian refugees to reiterate their long-term support to Lebanon and discuss new approaches to building resilience and assisting national systems. On Sunday, the Secretary-General and Dr. Kim will travel to Jordan. They will meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as other members of the Jordanian Government. They will also visit the Zaatari refugee camp, which, as you know, hosts refugees from Syria and they will also participate jointly in an open discussion with Jordanian youth.

On 28 March, on Monday, the Scretary-General and Dr. Kim will leave Jordan for Tunisia, where they will meet with President [Béji Caïd] Essebsi and other senior officials, and pay respect to the victims of terrorism. The Secretary-General will also attend a national conference on employment, hosted by the President of Tunisia.

Lastly, on Wednesday, 30 March, the Secretary-General will be in Geneva to open the high-level meeting on Global Responsibility Sharing for Syrian Refugees. The Secretary-General is expected back in New York in the evening of 30 of this very month, the month of March.

http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/db160318.doc.htm