Ban Ki-moon joins high-level celebration of WOSM HQ in Malaysia

November 29, 2019

On November 28th, the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) celebrated in a high-level reception the fifth anniversary since opening its international Support Centre in Kuala Lumpur. The event brought together representatives from the Government of Malaysia as well as Heads of Diplomatic Missions and representatives from international organizations in Malaysia to mark the occasion and highlight the progress made by the Scout Movement around the world.

The high-level event was hosted by Dato Yeoh Soo Keng, World Scout Foundation Board Member, and featured the participation of His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Honorary Chief Scout of Korea, as well as the Honourable Tuan Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Minister of Youth and Sports, Member of Parliament for Muar, and Youth Chief of BERSATU.

Minister Saddiq said,

“Great to meet up with Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations. We share a common belief that the youths are not just leaders of tomorrow, but also leaders of today. If we fail to serve the Youths, we fail to future-proof the world.”

Over the past five years, the World Scout Bureau office in Kuala Lumpur has hosted more than 100 international meetings and trainings involving thousands of participants. The headquarters has also receives annually visits from hundreds of guests including CEOs of other international Youth Movements, delegations of Foreign Ministers of Education, United Nations representatives and executives from World Scouting’s key partners such as WWF and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as well as national leadership from WOSM’s Member Organizations.

“We are proud to call Kuala Lumpur home to our global operations and we look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the Malaysian Government and civil society who have been exceptional partners in supporting the work of Scouting,”

said Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary-General of WOSM, who also serves as a Board member of the Ban Ki-moon Centre.

The reception featured digital photo exhibition and videos highlighting Scouting’s key initiatives such as Messengers of Peace and Scouts for SDGs. As the world’s largest educational youth movement, Scouting aims to engage young people across Malaysia and around the world in building a global culture of peace and contributing to sustainable development through millions of individual and community service actions.

Dato Yeoh Soo Keng welcomed guests and spoke about how World Scout Foundation has contributed towards the growth and impact of the Scout Movement over the years,

“I am proud to serve as a Board member of the Foundation which strives to develop and strengthen the impact of Scouting by providing financial resources and other support to the World Organization of the Scout Movement. By investing in scouting, we can unleash the power young people to create a better world,” said Dato Yeoh Soo Keng.

Through the World Scout Foundation, individuals who make a contribution towards Scouting are recognized as Baden Powell Fellows and personally awarded a special insignia by His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, The King of Sweden. Today there are over 2,500 Fellows spread throughout 70 countries and territories worldwide.

Source: https://www.scout.org/node/547589

Ban Ki-moon receives Honorary Doctorate in Global Peace and Sustainable Development from the UKM

November 28, 2019

On November 27th, Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Global Peace and Sustainable Development by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He received the honorary doctorate from UKM Chancellor Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, in a ceremony held in conjunction with UKM 47th Convocation.

In his lecture entitled “Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change”, Ban expressed his disappointment over the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, which he regarded as the world’s best hope to confront climate change:

“I cannot quite express my deepest disappointment and even anger at the decision of US government to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change,” said Ban, adding that the decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw from the agreement was politically associated, economically irresponsible and scientifically wrong.

Ban stressed that climate change was a global challenge, which demanded global solutions, and no country no matter how powerful or resourceful could address the issue alone. He said the Paris agreement, signed by 197 countries in 2015, offered a clear game plan to confront the serious threats to this planet and set viable targets to impede rising temperatures, constrict greenhouse gas emissions, and spur climate-resilient development and green growth.

“Climate change doesn’t respect any border, our action must transcend all the frontiers. I strongly and sincerely hope that US will come back and return to our joint efforts to address this climate change,” he said.

From record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires to typhoons and flooding of historic intensity, Ban said climate change was no longer a debate and was clearly here right now.

“With this reality in mind, we must urgently step-up our collective efforts to implement the Paris Climate Agreement. The bottom line is that we don’t have a plan B, simply because we don’t have a planet B either,” he said.

Source: Malay Mail
Photos: Bernama pic & UKM

Ban Ki-moon, Jack Ma, and Graça Machel encourage Africa’s young entrepreneurs with the Africa Netpreneur Prize!

November 16, 2019

The final competition of the Africa Netpreneur Prize was held in Accra, Ghana on November 16th. As BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon serves on the Advisory Board of the Africa Netpreneur Prize together with Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, and Graça Machel, Chair of the Graça Machel Trust Board, he delivered a speech at the ceremony.

Alibaba Group is China’s internet giant that has influences worldwide, and Jack Ma created the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) together with his foundation after his first trip to Africa in 2017. The Jack Ma Foundation has committed to running the competition for 10 years.

 

The aim of the prize is to support and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future. In its inaugural year, nearly 10,000 entrepreneurs from 50 countries across the continent applied.

The Jack Ma Foundation gave a total cash prize of one million dollars to support the enterprises of 10 young African entrepreneurs during the maiden Netpreneurs’ awards ceremony. Temie Giwa-Tubosun, CEO of LifeBank, took home the top ANPI 2019 Africa Business Hero Award.

Photos: Xinhua/Zhang Yu & ANPI

BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon was Awarded with the Albert I Grand Medals

November 9, 2019

Oceans are a fundamental element that regulates our climate. They are the beating heart of our planet, of our future.

On November 7, BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon was award with the Albert I Grand Medals in Mediation Section for his commitment to the preservation of the oceans, which is the 14th Sustainable Development Goal.

During his tenure as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Co-chair Ban has made the protection of the environment one of the priorities of the actions carried out on an international scale, in particular with the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

He started off his award acceptance speech by thanking Prince Albert II and Albert Foundation,

I am greatly thankful for Prince Albert II of Monaco for his visionary patronage of this award and his longtime advocacy and effort to support all oceans, environment and sustainable development.

The award ceremony was taken place in Oceanographic Museum, and Albert II presented the award to Co-chair Ban Ki-moon and two other winners, Lisa Ann Levin and Violaine Pellichero.

“We have left the time of uncertainty despite the curtains of smoke that some people deploy,”

Prince Albert II said in a speech calling for international political ambition to make progress on action on climate change.

 

Watch BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon’s award acceptance speech

Watch BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon’s nomination video

© Oceanographic Institute

BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon Delivers a Keynote Speech at the International Forum on Air Pollution and Climate Change

November 4, 2019

“We are victims of air pollution and climate change, but we should not forget that we are also perpetrators.”

On November 4, as the Chairman of the National Council on Climate and Air Quality, BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon attended the International Forum on Air Pollution and Climate Change held in Seoul, South Korea.

“The global challenges that we face today is through solidarity. Global challenges require global solutions and global partnership. By presenting a platform for the exchange of experiences and know-how, we can advance our collective progress in identifying concrete solutions that will yield tangible results.”

During the opening keynote, Co-chair Ban called for responsible actions to let the future generation breathe clean air and said,

“To give a sustainable and clean future to the next generation, we must fulfill our responsibilities and correct the wrong choices and mistakes of the past.”

The National Council on Climate and Air Quality, chaired by former BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, earlier proposed measures to cut South Korea’s fine dust by up to 20 percent later this year as well.

“We need more rapid and bold measures to resolve the fine dust problem and respond to climate change.”

Meanwhile, Minister Li Ganjie from Ministry of Environment of China also introduced China’s efforts to improve air quality. “China plans to place top priority in tackling air pollution and climate change and expand cooperation and exchanges with other nations,” Li said.

At the forum, Korea and China signed a “clear sky” action plan for a joint cooperative environment project between the two countries. The project calls for both nations to exchange technology and personnel and cooperate to curb the fallout of air pollution.

With increasing interest in the health impacts of air pollution around the world, the forum emphasized the need for the global partnership among states. Also, the forum participants voiced out that in order to resolve the fine dust in Northeast Asia, it is important to share the view that collective action is a common interest, and to deepen cooperation in the scientific and research fields to build trust in the region.

Source KBS, Korea Herald

© KBS, Yonhap News

Youth delegates from all over the world discuss peace and security at the OSCE-wide Youth Forum in Bratislava

November 3, 2019

The OSCE-wide Youth Forum was held at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia on October 28-29th, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Forum invited youth delegates from different countries to bring diverse perspectives to the discussions on the topics of education, new technology, peacebuilding, rule of law, environment and energy, and security and human rights.

  

Ban Ki-moon Centre CEO Monika Froehler featured as a keynote speaker, and Communications Officer Minji Kwag attended the Forum as a youth delegate from South Korea.

Delivering a welcome remark, Miroslav Lajčák, Foreign Minister of Slovakia and former President of the UNGA, emphasized:

“You are not here to listen to us; we are here to listen to you.”

He said that “excluding young people does not make any sense” because “it is the young people who are driving the changes we all need.”

He added that youth engagement is smart, effective, and necessary.

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger introduced the OSCE Youth Ambassadors who helped to form this youth forum, an upcoming side event of the OSCE in Vienna for December 2019, and Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship that will succeed the Slovak Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2020.

  

“What are the main challenges?” “How can societies cooperate?”

Raising critical questions for the youth participants to draw on to seek for solutions, Greminger said:

“Together you would come up with great idea in out-of-the-box approaches.”

The UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake also shared her remark and words of encouragement in her video message:

“I encourage all of you to bring forward your ideas and possible solutions!”

As a keynote speaker, BKMC CEO Froehler presented the current status quo of the peace and security issues in the OSCE region as well as other regions in armed conflicts and mentioned about the existing peace-building movements and initiatives by youth.

“Safer future, what does it mean?

”

  

Acknowledging that peace, security, and safe future may have different meanings in different contexts, Froehler shared her hope that youth can make the change.

“You are the 50% of humankind. Youth need to rise to be the generation for being great.”

She said that the world has never been as educated as we are today and that we should see youth as “equal partners” and empower them to be “co-creators for these solutions.”

  

At the discussion table, BKMC Communications Officer Minji Kwag made a statement that South Korea could make a remarkable development within a short period of time thanks to the great support given by other countries and the international community.

Kwag said that it is crucial to ensure the sustainability of the development and that the country needs to give back to the world what it has received from them.

“Every one of us should regard ourselves as a global citizen and view the world as a globally shared village regardless of our age, gender, nationality, religion, and all the other aspects that each of our small societies has defined us with.”

In conclusion, Kwag quoted BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, former United Nations Secretary-General:

“Be a global citizen; Act with passion and compassion.”

 

Co-chair Ban Ki-moon Visits IMO HQ in London

October 31, 2019

​Beating climate change and achieving the targets set in the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda are the two defining challenges of our time, according to co-chair Ban Ki-moon, who warned against rising unilateralism.

“In times of increasing discord, I believe that achieving the UN SDGs and meeting the Paris Climate Change Agreement are two efforts that should unite all nations, all industry and all civil society,” co-chair Ban said, addressing an audience of representatives of IMO Member States, NGOs and IMO staff at IMO Headquarters in London on October 28.

Co-chair Ban lauded IMO’s work on climate change, including the adoption of the initial IMO GHG strategy, as well as the Organization’s work, including capacity building, to promote a safer, more secure and more environment-friendly shipping industry.

“Taking stock of the current realities of global development and climate change, I believe IMO and shipping industry are well positioned to help navigate us toward safer harbors,” co-chair Ban said.

IMO’s focus on empowering women through its 2019 World Maritime theme and ongoing gender program was singled out for praise by co-chair Ban, who himself established UN Women to champion gender equality during his time as UN Secretary-General. Companies with women on their boards do better, he reminded the audience – while women and children are disproportionately affected by the impacts of poverty, climate change and conflict.

IMO’s commitment to supporting the ocean goal, SDG 14, including its work to address marine plastic litter, was also highlighted. Shipping itself is vital to world trade and development – and the achievement of many SDGs. With 11 years to go to fulfill the goals set out in all 17 SDGs,

“we need an all hands on deck approach where everyone joins together in multi stakeholder partnership,” co-chair Ban said. “Considering the great importance of the shipping industry for our economies and the environment, IMO truly represents the vanguard of global efforts to build a more prosperous and sustainable global future.”

Source IMO

© IMO

BKMC CEO Monika Froehler delivers a keynote at the OSCE-wide Youth Forum in Bratislava

October 28, 2019

On October 28th, young women and men from across the OSCE region and beyond gathered in Bratislava to discuss how to best engage youth for a safer future by 2030. The two-day OSCE-wide Youth Forum brought together young people, ambassadors, diplomats and experts for an inter-generational dialogue under the OSCE’s flagship Perspectives 20-30 initiative, a key priority of Slovakia’s OSCE Chair. Among the youth participants was the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ Communications Officer Minji Kwag who attended the Forum as a delegate from South Korea.

Opening the event, OSCE Chairperson and Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák noted that young people are still not always invited into the rooms of decision-making or given a seat at the table:

“This, simply, does not make sense. It is young people who are driving the changes we all need. They are acting as watchdogs for human rights and fighting corruption. They are finding niche ways to boost and expand our economies. They are speaking truth to power when it comes to climate change. And, they are out there, in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, engaging in their communities to build peace — even when this puts them at risk.”

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger spoke about the significance of the Forum as part of a wider effort to integrate youth voices into the work of the OSCE.

“This event is part of a process, and not a one-off event. Its outcomes will be presented in a side event at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava in December, and will hopefully provide fresh food-for-thought for our debates. So, I encourage you to take the outcomes of this process seriously and to take these perhaps unconventional ideas back into our discussions in the Hofburg. We are also exploring ways to give continuity to the Perspectives 20-30 initiative in 2020 and beyond,” he said.

The main focus of today’s discussion was a ‘food-for-thought’ paper, Perspectives 20-30: Providing for a Safer Future, which was drafted by a Core Group of Experts made up of young people from across the OSCE area. Ideas in the paper were drawn upon by various speakers today, including issues such as gender equality, technology, education, conflict prevention and non-discrimination.

Speaking about the paper, OSCE Chairperson Lajčák said:

“It tells us — and this really caught my eye — that multilateralism is at risk. And that the only way to rebuild trust in institutions is to open them up; to better communicate what we are doing; to include more voices than ever before.”

Providing concrete input on how to further develop the paper, keynote speaker Monika Froehler of the Ban Ki-moon Centre urged participants to take the discussion paper as a first step in the right direction which now has to be followed by action. She called on all participants to capitalize on their own, individual capacities to drive change.

“Don’t ask what the OSCE can do for you, but what you can do for the OSCE and for the region,” she stressed.

Speaking on behalf of the Perspectives 20-30 Core Group of Experts, Katarina Kertysova underlined that youth currently constitutes one of the most under-represented groups in the political sphere.

“This week’s Forum is a powerful engagement tool and an opportunity for us – the youth – to take ownership of the solution,” she said. “We hope this will serve as an example for other organizations to follow.”

Participants of the OSCE Youth Forum continue to exchange their perspectives, facilitated by the two Special Representative of the Chair on Youth and Security Alba Brojka and Samuel Goda, and youth, peace and security experts from the OSCE, on the steps needed to secure a safer future through in-depth discussions on the rule of law, building peace, new technologies, environmental change, human rights, and education as a catalyst for change.

More information about the 20-30 Perspectives project can be found here: www.osce.org/youth

Source: OSCE Secretariat

One Young World hosts its annual summit in London for 2019

October 26, 2019

The One Young World (OYW) Summit 2019 was held in London, the United Kingdom on October 22-25th. The opening kicked off with a remarkable speech given by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and was highlighted by the joint admittance of the North and South Korean delegates, holding hands and waving flags together, which showed the true meaning of cooperation and harmony.

The Summit featured world leaders and change-makers such as UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake, The Elders Chair Mary Robinson, and North Korean Human Rights Activist Yeonmi Park as speakers, who will also feature on the upcoming online course that the Ban Ki-moon Centre is co-developing with UNESCO APCEIU.

Wickramanayake emphasized that we can make this world better and more sustainable in the leadership of young people and that we need to engage youth in achieving the SDGs by “not just participating but leading the global change and development.”

“Young people are making the change; We have the responsibiliity to make the humanity drive towards progress,” said Wickramanayake.

The Summit provided an interactive platform for young advocates and leaders from different sectors and all parts of the world. Among the other key speakers were Dr. Jane Goodall, Singer-songwriter and the UNEP Global Goodwill Ambassador Ellie Goulding, Singer-songwriter and Activist Bob Geldof, First Lady of Colombia María Juliana Ruiz, BKMC Partner DSM’s CEO Feike Sijbesma, and the youth advocates and ambassadors of the One Young World.

Dr. Goodall said to the gathered youth participants,

“You have a role to play. You might not know it yet, but you do.”

“Together we can, together we will!”

One Young World identifies, promotes and connects the world’s impactful young leaders to create a better world, with more responsible, more effective leadership. The annual summit convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact. Delegates from 190+ countries are counseled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Paul Polman and Meghan Markle, amongst many other global figures.

At the end of the Summit, Delegates become One Young World Ambassadors. According to the OYW, 20.9 million people have been positively impacted by Initiatives led by its Ambassadors since 2010. They return to their communities and organizations with the means and motivation to make a difference, accessing the global network of 10,000+ young leaders to accelerate existing initiatives or establish new ventures. Learn more about the Ambassador Community here.

On the margins of the Summit, the Ban Ki-moon Centre filmed an interview with Park who shared her emotional and inspirational story which will be included in the Centre’s online course on the topic of gender equality and women’s empowerment that will be launched early next year.

Watch the speech by UN Youth Envoy:

Source: One Young World

Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, Re-elected as President and Chair of GGGI

October 23, 2019

Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, was re-elected as the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)’s Assembly President and Council Chairman on October 16 for the term of February 20, 2020 – February 19, 2022. The 2-year appointment was unanimously approved by the 33 Member countries of GGGI, and announced during the joint session of the GGGI Assembly and Council in Seoul.

As GGGI President & Chair, BKMC co-chair Ban will champion green growth and advocate at the highest levels the need for cooperation and action to address climate change and transition to low-carbon, sustainable and inclusive economies.

In his role, co-chair Ban will enable GGGI to implement its recently adopted Strategy 2030, which aims to build low-carbon, resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies, and strengthen collaboration with other international and regional organizations and initiatives, including the Global Commission on Adaptation and the Republic of Korea’s National Council on Climate Change and Air Quality.

He was first appointed GGGI Assembly President and Council Chair on February 20, 2018. Over the course of his first term, GGGI’s membership expanded by welcoming six new Member countries and the organization helped developing countries mobilize over USD 800 million in climate finance.

As Secretary-General of the UN between 2007 and 2016, co-chair Ban sought to be a bridge builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, and to make the organization more transparent and effective. He worked closely with member states of the UN to shape the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to establish UN Women.

The 8th Session of the Assembly and 12th Session of the Council Joint Session convened during Global Green Growth Week 2019: Unlocking Renewable Energy Potential. GGGW2019 was organized by GGGI in cooperation with LG Chemical, REN21, the Korea Energy Agency, the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership, the Incheon Global Campus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and AMCHAM Korea.

Source GGGI

© GGGI