UN chief Antonio Guterres
Credit: Reuters Photo
United Nations: UN chief Antonio Guterres, who is currently in Switzerland, has cancelled his planned trip to the Swiss Alps town of Davos due to a bad cold, his spokesperson said.
"The Secretary-General is currently near Geneva, Switzerland, where he is meeting with his Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys. Following these meetings, he will return to New York and has cancelled his planned trip to Davos due to a bad cold,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Monday.
Davos, the popular Swiss ski resort that hosts the annual World Economic Forum, is about 427 km from Geneva.
Over the weekend, Guterres was in London, where he addressed a special commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly. The event, organised by the UN Association of the UK (UNA-UK), took place in Methodist Central Hall, the very place where the first meeting was held, Haq added.
Davos is hosting global leaders and business heavyweights as the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum began January 19 and will run through January 23.
US President Donald Trump is set to address the annual gathering of global leaders from government, business, think tanks, civil society and academia on Wednesday. Trump's presence at Davos comes amidst tensions with between the US and European nations over his push to acquire Greenland and impose tariffs on countries until “a deal” is reached to purchase Greenland.
Trump had announced that he will impose a 10 per cent tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland starting February 1 and this levy will be increased to 25 per cent beginning June this year “due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” According to reports, Trump will host a ceremony in Davos Thursday for nations to sign the ‘Board of Peace Charter’, joining the body aimed for Gaza’s redevelopment under his comprehensive plan to end the conflict.
Trump has invited several global leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to join the Board of Peace, seen as a rival to the United Nations, that will work towards bringing lasting peace to Gaza and embark on a "bold new approach" to resolve "global conflict".
Trump sent a letter to Modi that was shared on social media by the US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.
The President said it was his great honour to invite the Prime Minister to join him in a "critically historic and magnificent effort to solidify peace" in the Middle East and, at the same time, to embark on a "bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict".
Trump unveiled the board as part of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Indian-American President of the World Bank Ajay Banga and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among the leaders named to the Board of Peace.