Bonn, 16 July 2008 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began a two-day visit to Germany on Tuesday starting with a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, with whom he discussed global issues like climate change, food security, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other important topics.

On Wednesday he visited Bonn, where he was received by the Lady Mayor, Bärbel Dieckmann at the old town hall. Ban He then went on to sign the Golden Book of the City of Bonn. With his signature, he wanted to "express the gratitude of the entire family of the United Nations" towards the city, "Bonn is an important European location for the United Nations and a generous host for our work and for the hundreds of UN staff members stationed here", praised Ban Ki-moon, who visited the UN Campus together with his wife Ban Soon-taek.

Ban Ki-moon went on to visit the United Nations Campus in Bonn attending a Town Hall Meeting with UN staff in the former Bundestag which is part of the new World Conference Center. In his speech to UN Bonn staff, the Secretary General reiterated that the city of Bonn was “a globalized city and a city which is a friend to the United Nations”. He then took some time to answer questions from United Nations staff members, who were pleased to be able to welcome their new Secretary-General in Bonn for the first time.

Ban Ki-moon’s visit underlined the importance of Bonn as the main location for UN agencies in Germany.