Trudeau hosts UN chief Ban Ki-moon to talk climate, refugees, peacekeeping

“The weather here is quite cold, but the relationship between the UNited Nations and Canada is very, very warm”, Ban said.

Climate change, refugees and peacekeeping are among the topics up for discussion as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets in Ottawa today with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The panel, chaired by retired judge of the Supreme Court of Canada Marie Deschamps, accusing the United Nations of having shown a “serious institutional failure” in its handling of allegations.

Ban recalled how Trudeau used his “charm and popularity” during the November and December UN Paris climate-change talks, energetically moving from delegation to delegation.

“I know that the prime minister may have all different priorities but I’m sure that Prime Minister Trudeau and his government will pay more focus on this matter”.

Canada will spend more than $1.1 billion on humanitarian and development assistance to help bring stability to crisis-stricken Syria and Iraq, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion told reporters.

The United States reiterated on Wednesday their commitment to intensifying the fight against the so-called “Islamic State” group (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, said the US Department of Defense.

The decision by the Trudeau government to renew the country’s involvement with the United Nations also includes a pledge for greater participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations and to boost contributions on mediation, conflict prevention, and post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

Ban will visit Ottawa and Montreal tomorrow and Friday, three months after Trudeau took office and declared “Canada is back”, signalling a break with the former conservative government’s policies.

“We’re going to evaluate the opportunities for Canada to operate a successful bid”, Trudeau said.

However, Trudeau’s promise that Canada would pull its jets was already part of his winning campaign.

At the same time, Canada will triple the number of its special forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210, while a handful of surveillance and refueling aircraft will continue to play roles in the US-led coalition.