UN chief to attend water summit in Hungary and ASEAN summit in Brunei

UNITED NATIONS – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is heading to a water summit in Hungary and then to a summit of Southeast Asian nations in Brunei.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Ban left for Hungary on Monday to participate in the Budapest Water Summit organized by the Hungarian government in cooperation with the U.N. and the World Water Council.

Improving global access to clean water and sanitation are two key U.N. anti-poverty goals and Nesirky said the meeting is "one of the major events this year" on those issues.

He will also meet Hungary's leaders and give a lecture at Budapesti Corvinus University.

Ban will then fly to Brunei where he will take part in the ASEAN summit on Thursday and hold bilateral meetings with its leaders, Nesirky said.

He returns to New York Saturday.