Above: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (UN Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon begins a visit to Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Monday, the world body announced.

Ban is set to meet with senior government officials and “get a first-hand look at programmes designed to improve health and reduce poverty,” according to a UN statement.

The Haiti portion of Ban’s trip is to include a visit to a village in the Central department, where Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe will launch the country’s new “Total Sanitation Campaign,” which aims to improve sanitation and rural hygiene interventions.

Following that trip, Ban will meet with Haiti President Michel Martelly and members of Parliament. He will also hold discussions with MINUSTAH Chief Sandra Honore, who is also Ban’s special representative in the country.

In the Dominican Republic, Ban is scheduled to meet with President Danilo Medina and with the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

Following an address to a joint session of congress, Ban will visit the Dominican Republic’s “Quisqueya sin Miseria” programme, an anti-poverty drive.