United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to view for himself the worrying effects of global warming when he visits Antarctica this week with Chilean Environment Minister Anlia Uriarte, the minister said Wednesday.

A statement from the minister said the secretary-general will see the scientific activity in Antarctica and evidence of the faster-than-expected melting of the world's ice caps due to climate change.

During the Friday to Sunday tour, the party will also visit the Torres del Paine National Park, home to Chile's spectacular glaciers that are being threatened by global warming.

Chilean scientists have issued warnings about the accelerating of the melting process at the glaciers, which are important sources of drinking water. As a result, the country's legislature is considering a law to deal with the situation.

The secretary-general was invited to Chile by President Michelle Bachelet during a high-level meeting on climate change in September at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Heraldo Munoz, Chile's UN ambassador, and director of Chile's Antarctic Institute Jose Retamales will accompany Ban Ki-moon on the visit.

Ban is also to attend the 17th Ibero-American summit scheduled for Nov. 8-11 in Chile.

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