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UN Secretary-General #BanKi-moon meets with refugees in Brussels

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jordan206-webOn 14 June, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with a  group of refugees in one of Brussels’ soup kitchens run by a Belgian NGO with the help of refugee volunteers. 

Refugees gather there to have lunch on their very first day of arrival in Belgium as they seek asylum. Both Belgian and refugee volunteers are working side by side to the benefit of incoming refugees.  In the 'Startpunt' soup kitchen, organized by Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, they prepare and distribute food, and have conversations with the refugees to inform them about their rights, and to explain the asylum procedures in Belgium.

The Secretary-General had a conversation with a diverse team of volunteers, some of them being refugees themselves who have settled in Belgium (Syria, Iran, Afghanistan). They discussed the many challenges the refugees had undergone on their way to Europe.

“This is a heart-breaking situation”, the Secretary-General said. “And I would like to call upon world leaders to show compassion and global leadership.”

The UNSG also spoke with refugee volunteers about their expectations and hopes for the future. He praised the work at the NGO. “I highly appreciate the noble work you are doing,” the Secretary-General told the volunteers. “The enormity of the challenges is hard to describe. But do not despair, do not lose hope. We are with you.”

The Secretary-General has travelled to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the European Development Days, organized by the European Commission. He will meet with Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission and a number of commissioners, as well as with other senior officials attending the celebration of the European Development Days, Europe's leading forum on development and international cooperation.

While in Belgium, the Secretary-General will also participate in an Advisory Board meeting of the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) initiative, and meet with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals Ambassadors.

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