United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he expects the European Union to remain a solid partner for the United Nations after Britain’s decision to leave the bloc.
“The Secretary-General expects the European Union to continue to be a solid partner for the United Nations on development and humanitarian issues, as well as peace and security, including migration,” Ban said in a statement.
Ban also expressed hope that Britain will keep exercising its leadership in many areas including development.
For the transition period that now begins for Britain to leave the EU, Ban said he trusts “Europe’s well-proven history of pragmatism and common responsibility in the interest of European citizens.”
“At the UN, we look forward to continuing our work with the United Kingdom and the European Union — both important partners,” Ban said.
“When we work together, we are stronger,” he added.
Meanwhile, the world’s major central banks rushed Friday to deal with financial markets chaos arising from Britain’s shock referendum decision to quit the European Union.
Britain has voted to leave the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent, sparking markets turmoil and the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron—who had backed the failed “Remain” campaign.
The news sparked a raft of announcements from the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the Swiss National Bank and the US Federal Reserve, as they clambered to curb dizzying global stock market losses.
The announcements stemmed losses on major European and US markets, with London falling just 3.2 percent, although Frankfurt fell 6.2 percent and Paris 8.0 percent.
But Madrid and Milan closed down more than ten percent down on jitters ahead of weekend Spanish elections.
Wall Street was down around 3 percent in afternoon trading.
“The liquidity support promised by the Bank of England—and subsequently the ECB and Federal Reserve—appears to have been the main catalyst for the turnaround,” said Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell.
In reaction to chaotic trade, the BoE swiftly announced that it was ready to pump £250 billion ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) to aid the smooth running of markets, declaring it will take “all necessary steps to meet its responsibilities for monetary and financial stability”.