UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon will depart this weekend for a visit that will take him to France, a UN spokesman told reporters here on Thursday.

"The secretary-general will depart (from) New York this weekend for Strasbourg, in France," said Martin Nesirky, Ban's spokesperson, at a daily briefing.

According to Nesirky, the UN chief will attend the opening session of the World Forum for Democracy, hosted by the Council of Europe, on Monday.

"Then, he will go to Paris, where he will meet with (French) President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius," said the spokesman.

The secretary-general will return to New York on Tuesday, Nesirky added.