FIRST TIME VISITOR : UN General Secretary Mr. Antonio Guterres
By Staff Writer
Climate change devastation threats for Pacific Island countries, are to be highlighted in the visit to Samoa this week by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres,
Mr. Guterres 3-day tour starts off officially tomorrow, Thursday 22 August 2023, after landing at Faleolo International Airport tonight.
The World leader is lined up to visit village locations of the Aleipata tsunami of 29 September 2009 as the site of one of the worst natural disasters in Samoa.
The tsunami took several innocent lives when huge waves washed ashore in the morning hours shortly after two back to back earthquakes in the 8 magnitude range .
The origin of the earthquakes were traced to the Tongan Trench.
The UN Secretary General is schedule to make a short morning call on the PM Fiame Naomi Mataafa before a traditional ava ceremony to officially welcome him to Samoa.
His Aleipata tour that is set to follow, offers a chance for him to see the southern side of the island with short sightseeing stopovers along the Falealili to Aleipata travel route.
Handover of new building facilities, later on in the visit, is also scheduled at the Tuanaimato UN Head Office for all agencies set up in Samoa
So is calling into the National University of Samoa Campus at Le Papaigalagala to wrap up on Friday.
Mr. Guterres is the second UN Secretary General to visit Same after Mr. Ban Ki-moon, in 2014.
He travels from Samoa to Tonga for the Pacific Forum Island leaders meeting.