UN Secretary General Guterres reaches Lumbini, PM Prachanda welcomed him

KATHMANDU: The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has reached in Lumbini as part of his visit to Nepal.

Guterres landed at Lumbini via Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) on Tuesday morning after reaching Annapurna Base Camp.

Secretary General Guterres arrived by helicopter from GBIA in Lumbini. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ reached in Lumbini to greet Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Secretary General Guterres traveled directly from Pokhara to Lumbini, while Prime Minister Prachanda traveled from Kathmandu to Lumbini.

Secretary General Guterres, who visited Lumbini for the first time, along with Prime Minister Prachanda, was welcomed by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kiranti, Chief Minister of Lumbini Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sushila Sripali, Vice Chair of Lumbini Development Fund Larkyala Lama and others.

According to the Lumbini Development Fund, Secretary General Guterres will attend a formal program in Lumbini for an hour and a half. Guterres will pay a visit to Mayadevi Temple and worship in Shanti Deep. He’ll make his way from Shanti Deep to Mayadevi Temple.

The visit of the Secretary General of the United Nations to Lumbini after roughly 15 years is significant. Previously, as Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon visited Lumbini in Nov 2008. Guterres is the sixth Secretary General of the United Nations to visit Lumbini.