UN Chief Starting 'Ramazan Solidarity Visit' To 3 African Nations; UNGA President Leads Friday Prayers In New York

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published April 30, 2022 | 12:35 AM

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is currently in Europe trying to end the war in Ukraine, will begin a Ramazan solidarity visit to three African countries -- Senegal, Niger and Nigeria -- on Saturday, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Aziz Haq announced Friday

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2022 ) :United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is currently in Europe trying to end the war in Ukraine, will begin a Ramazan solidarity visit to three African countries -- Senegal, Niger and Nigeria -- on Saturday, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Aziz Haq announced Friday.

During his African tour, the UN chief will also highlight the impact of the Ukraine war on the African continent, Farhan Haq said.

The Secretary-General will meet and share an Iftar dinner with President Macky Sall of Senegal, who assumed the Presidency of the African Union earlier this year.

He will go to Niamey on Monday to take part in Eid celebrations with President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger, and on Tuesday he is scheduled to meet President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria in Lagos.

In the three countries, the spokesman said, the Secretary-General will have meetings with senior government officials as well as civil society representatives, including women, youth groups and religious leaders.

He will meet families deeply affected by violence and instability in the Sahel, including people internally displaced and refugees.

Guterres will also see first-hand the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and will assess progress and challenges to the COVID-19 recovery.

The Secretary-General began annual Ramazan solidarity visits when he was High Commissioner for Refugees, but the tradition was interrupted by the pandemic. This year, he will also use the visit to express his solidarity with victims of terrorism in the region.

Meanwhile, at UN Headquarters in New York, the UN General Assembly President, Abdulla Shah, who hails from Maldives, led the Jummatul-wida prayers in the UN building' Qatar Lounge.

In his 'khutba', President Shahid stressed the importance of mercy and compassion towards one another, as well as about thinking of the "consequences of our actions, respecting each other, and our common humanity."