Ban Ki-moon (Yonseï University)

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Ban Ki-moon - 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations (2007-2016), Honorary Chair of the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment, Yonseï University (Seoul, Korea), Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor - received the title of Honoris Causa on the 17th December 2018.

Photo : Ban-Ki-Moon © United nations (UN)
Ban-Ki-Moon © United nations (UN)

Ban Ki-moon was the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, elected for two terms from 2007 until 2016. In this role, his priority was to mobilise world leaders around new global challenges such as climate change, economic upheaval, increasing problems related to food, energy and water. His aim was to be a bridge-builder, to represent the poor and vulnerable and to strengthen the United Nations organisation itself.

One of the Secretary-General's first major initiatives was the 2007 Climate Change Summit, which was followed by extensive diplomatic efforts that helped put this issue to the forefront of global agendas. Ban Ki-moon successfully launched "UN Women", a major new entity in favor of women's rights and gender equality, that has achieved the development of numerous initiatives, including actions against sexual violence during times of conflict.

Ban Ki-moon sought to strengthen the UN peace efforts, by establishing a New Horizon peacekeeping initiative, which included a number of actions to improve the impact of the 120,000 UN "blue helmets" operating in zones of conflict throughout the world.