The forum, attended by Greek President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias as well as Prime minister and FM George Papandreou, brought together more than 250 representatives of international organisations.

The first challenge, he said, was the global financial crisis and the safeguarding of vulnerable migrants who, due to the crisis in the fields they are traditionally employed (construction, industry, tourism), face a higher rate of unemployment than other categories of working people.

However, repercussions from the crisis are also felt by the countries of origin of the migrants, since remittances to their home countries were reduced by 7-10 percent in 2009.

Further, the global financial crisis has created a social problem as well, since the migrants are being turned into scapegoats and are being blamed for the low wages which, however, are not due to the migrants, the UN chief elaborated.

The second challenge, he continued, was that of climate change. He noted that 10 percent of the global population lives in coastal areas that could be affected by the rise in the sea levels. In addition, new migration waves are anticipated due to extreme weather conditions such as floods, drought, etc.

The third challenge, Ban said, was that of the vulnerable migrants such as women and children, who he said suffer degradation, are pushed into forced labour, prostitution and even organ removal. The UN chief also noted that a global campaign has been launched for prevention of violence against women.

Greek Interior Minister Yiannis Ragoussis, who took the podium after the UN chief, focused on the problem of illegal migrants and on the social and civil integration of legal migrants.

Greece, he said, has realised both the abilities and the limitations of police measures, while the government has declared its intention to clash with illegal migration networks.

He also referred to the two focal points of the country's policy for the integration of migrants.

The first focal point is to boost the integration of legal migrants through measures to enhance their safety, as well as the participation of long-residing migrants in local government elections as well as through the provision of Greek nationality to the migrants' children born in Greece.

The second focal point, Ragoussis continued, is management of the constantly increasing number of migrants lacking travel documents (illegal migrants). One of the measures that will be taken is the establishment of an executive coordination centre for such migrants, with the participation of all the ministries involved, he said.

The minister stressed that a prerequisite for the solution of that problem is international cooperation, given that the problem is a global one.

Repercussions of climate change on modern migration movements were the main focus of talks on Wednesday between PM Papandreou and Ban Ki Moon.

"Greece attaches great importance to the United Nations, of which it is a founding member, while there is a tradition of long-term and multilateral cooperation and dedication to the principles of international law," the prime minister said, stressing the UN's decisive mission for global peace and cooperation.

Their meeting also covered issues of Greek interest, such as the Cyprus problem and the "name dispute" with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM), and matters such as the UN peacekeeping forces and the "Millennium targets".

Papandreou said that climate change would probably emerge as the foremost problem of the planet and that dialogue on this issue would reach a peak in Copenhagen in December. The Greek premier announced that he would be attending the climate change summit himself and expressed hope that "we can reach a binding agreement".

According to the premier, he had emphasised the Greek government's dedication to this goal in his talks with the UN Secretary General, in addition to the initiatives recently undertaken by the EU and his attempt to redirect the Greek economy toward green development.

"The Secretary General will find us to be supportive of his efforts," he stressed.

Concerning modern migration movements and Greece's chairmanship of the 3rd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), Papandreou said that he had emphasised in talks with Ban Ki Moon the need for development in both the countries of origin and the countries that received immigrants so that, when migrants returned to their countries they would transfer know-how, experience and capital to these.

Papandreou also emphasised the need to protect workers and the poorer sections of society from the impact of the global economic crisis.

"I informed the UN Secretary General on my latest initiatives to create a momentum on both the Cyprus issue and the name issue with fYRoM," the Greek premier said, expressing satisfaction that his views and the UN Secretary General's largely coincided and promising close cooperation.

Ban Ki Moon welcomed the Greek premier's promise to help Cypriots arrive at an agreement for a solution to the Cyprus problem, saying that the international community had "high hopes" for the negotiations now underway and that these must continue, adding that UN special envoy Alexander Downer would continue to work with the leaders of the two communities.

Regarding the name dispute with fYRoM, the UN Secretary General said special mediator Matthew Nimetz was ready to repeat talks whenever the two sides were ready, welcoming Greece's readiness to begin talks and Athens' assurance that it would fully support the role of the UN special envoy on this issue.

On the issue of migration, he noted that the Greek economy had benefited from the presence of migrants while referring to concerns about conditions of hospitality in Greece.

"I hope that Greece, as a destination country, will continue to defend and promote the rights of migrants," Ban Ki Moon said, urging Greece to respect the processes for asylum applications.

The UN Secretary General also praised Greece's contribution to the "concepts of democracy, human rights and a state of law," and the Greek prime minister's role at the EU, adding that he would address the Greek Parliament on behalf of the UN on Thursday.

Later on Wednesday, Papoulias hosted an official luncheon in honour of Ban Ki Moon, during which he referred at length to the UN's pivotal role in issues of key interest for Greece, such as the Cyprus problem or the name dispute.

Papoulias repeated that the problem on Cyprus was one of "a long-term invasion and occupation" and that it could not be solved until the occupation and its repercussions had ended. He also referred to what he called the "blatant paradox" in Turkey's stance, as a candidate-country for EU entry, to refuse to recognise one of the existing member-states of the EU, the Cyprus Republic.

"It is obvious that Turkey's European aspirations have no hope while the Cyprus issue remains an open wound," the Greek president underlined.

Regarding the name dispute between Greece and neighbouring FYROM, Papoulias said that Athens objected to Skopje's attempt to lay exclusive claim to a name and a region that since the Middle Ages had actually described a multinational geographic area that was not the homeland of any one nation.

In his reply, the UN Secretary General underlined Greece's historic contribution to concepts such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law that were guiding principle of the United Nations.

He also referred to his recent trip to Afghanistan, which he visited immediately before coming to Greece, and strongly condemned the attacks targeting UN personnel in that country, while urging all UN member-states to cooperate in order to solve the problems of extremism and terrorism.

The UN chief finally thanked Greece for its participation in all UN peacekeeping missions and the contribution of the Hellenic Navy to fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Finally, main opposition New Democracy (ND) party president Costas Karamanlis met in Parliament on Wednesday with the visiting UN Secretary General.

The half-hour meeting focused on the problems of climate change and piracy at sea, while an emphasis was placed on matters of particular concern for Greece like, developments in the Cyprus issue. No statements were made afterwards.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by his wife, visited the Νew Acropolis Museum on Wednesday afternoon and was given a guided tour by museum director Prof. Dimitris Pandermalis.

Prime Minister George Papandreou and his wife will host a dinner in honour of the UNSG and his wife later in the evening.