UN SecGen to Visit Tacloban

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reportedly plans to go to Tacloban on Saturday after attending talks with top government officials on Friday.

The UN leader arrived in Manila on Friday and plans go to Tacloban to personally evaluate the damage brought by super typhoon Yolanda.

Earlier, the United Nations had launched a $791 million aid appeal to look after the victims’ and survivors’ needs for the next 12 months. The UN said the amount will complement the Philippine government’s rehabilitation program.

Ban Kai-moon announced “2013 was another year of extreme weather — as we saw most recently with Typhoon Haiyan. On Thursday, I will depart for Manila and Tacloban for a first-hand assessment of the aftermath.” The UN leader also announced that he is organizing a summit that will tackle climate change on September next year.

Ban Kai-moon is the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, who succeeded Kofi Annan in 2007. Before becoming Secretary-General, he was a career diplomat in South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations.

The UN leader will leave the Philippines on Sunday.
Source: Gma News Online