UN Visit to New York

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde visited the United Nations in New York, where Belgium started its mandate on the Security Council.

Monday 10 February 2020

At 14:30 the Royal Couple boarded the flight to New York, accompanied by (amongst others) a delegation of 18 journalists and 31 musicians of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, among them violinist Lorenzo Gatto.

Tuesday 11 February 2020

Briefing with the Belgian team at the UN: working lunch at the Belgian residence with the members of the UN Security Council.

With Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and Ivo Van Hove

Visit to the 9/11 Memorial. At the King's request, the Royal Couple was accompanied by four Belgian federal police officers, who intervened during the terrorist attack of 22 March 2016 in Brussels. 

A few years ago Philippe & Mathilde visited the monument in private, together with their children.

Closing the first day of the visit to New York with a concert at the Morgan Library & Museum, organized by the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and the Brussels Philharmonic, with works of Telemann, Haydn and Mozart.

Belgian ambassador to the USA, Dirk Wouters and Bernard de Launoit, chairman of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

Wednesday 12 February 2020

Start of the Belgian presidency at the UN. 

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde, accompanied by Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Goffin, met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

King Philippe delivered a statement, focusing on helping children who live in war and conflict zones.

The Belgian Photo exhibition "Rebel Lives" showed the tragic faith of child soldiers recruited by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. The Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict of the UN Security Council was founded 15 years ago.

And then they answered questions from Les Niouzz reporter Héloïse.

End of the visit to New York with the musical "West Side Story" at the famous Broadway Theatre. This new production of Leonard Bernstein's famous musical also had a Belgian touch as Ivo van Hove and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker were in charge of the direction and choreography.

with Diane von Fürstenberg