“We are at an inflection point,” Ban Ki-moon speaks out.

December 24, 2018

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered a keynote and had a panel discussion at an event hosted by a leading French agricultural cooperative group InVivo on December 19th, 2018.

“We are at a point of historical inflection in demographic and environmental levels,” said Ban.

InVivo aims to help French agriculture and agricultural cooperation to regain their rightful place in the global food value chain. CEO Thierry Blandinières ‏of InVivo said that the company is committed to bringing solutions for the challenges that the country and the world face. In order to achieve the sustainable development of the planet and human population, InVivo focuses on four fields of expertise: Agriculture, Animal Nutrition and Health, Retail and Wine.

Learn more about the group here: https://www.invivo-group.com/en

Photo: Jeudi Photo

University of Bordeaux confers an honorary doctorate degree to Ban Ki-moon

December 17, 2018

On December 17th, 2018, BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Bordeaux in France. At the degree conferring ceremony, President Manuel Tunon de Lara of the university conferred the degree and a badge to Ban. It was to acknowledge Ban Ki-moon’s commitments to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including achieving gender equality along with women’s empowerment and adapting to climate change.

“I just wanted to lead by example,” said Ban.

During the ceremony, an academic conversation was conducted between Professor Anne-Marie Tournepiche of Public Law at the University (a specialist in international and European law, law of armed conflicts and law relating to refugees) and Professor Sébastien-Yves Laurent of Political Science (a specialist in security matters and international relations). Also, a master’s student, Chayma Koucha, gave a speech which was followed by the degree acceptance speech given by Ban.

Photo: University of Bordeaux

Global Compact Network Thailand officially launches and encourages private sectors to adopt sustainable policies

December 15, 2018

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered a keynote at the official launch of Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT), setting off private-sector collaboration for country’s sustainable development, in Bangkok, Thailand on December 14th, 2018. Founded in 2017, GCNT is currently joined by 40 leading Thai corporates whose common purpose is to facilitate balanced and sustainable economic, social and environmental development in accordance with United Nations Global Compact — a collaborative network of private sectors that encourages businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies with more than 13,000 members in 160 countries.

“By assembling leaders from the Thai private sector to form a Global Compact local network, the critical work that you are undertaking to alight your business with the ideals of the United Nations has my deep respect. Our world is going through pronounced changes resulting in elevated uncertainties and new risks. Keep working to make business a force for good. Together, we can respond to the urgency of our global challenges and construct a better tomorrow,” said Ban.

GCNT‘s primary mission in 2019 is to provide private organizations with necessary guidance to ensure that they recognize the role of business case for the achievement of sustainable development and enter the GCNT membership to create high-impact collaborations.

President Suphachai Chearavanont of GCNT says,

“Regarding the four major principles of sustainability, Thailand will start with human rights because it is the critical issue that contributes to the country’s credibility and international economic relations. At GCNT, we realize that human rights is a very sensitive subject and concerns various aspects, including child labors, foreign workers, female labors, welfare, and several other lesser-known issues. Therefore, it is important for us to identify human rights as an urgent priority that needs to be addressed within a short time frame. Apart from taking the role of center in sharing knowledge and opening up learning opportunity for members through activities as previously said, we also would like to invite business organizations across the country to join us in building a strong network capable of impacting a concrete change in the society, with aim to attain 100 members by end of 2019,”

Read more about the launch event and the network here: https://read.bi/2EBCK86

Ban Ki-moon urges leaders to invest in “Health for All” with the launch of the UHC Day

December 13, 2018

December 12th is endorsed by the United Nations as the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day to call for collective action to ensure that everyone across the world gets access to quality health services without having to suffer from any financial difficulties.

UHC is a fundamentally political goal rooted in the human right to health and is also considered an important investment that countries should make. The UHC Day on 12 December aims to mobilize diverse stakeholders to call for stronger, more equitable health systems to achieve universal health coverage, leaving no one behind. It has become the annual rallying point for the growing global movement for ‘Health for All.‘

On an ed-op on “Why public finance is Key to Delivering the human right to health,” BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon calls on political leaders to demonstrate their will to finance the public health systems.

“Our advice to US states, to India, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya and other countries approaching the cross roads like Nigeria and Pakistan is to take this path, as this is the only navigable route to health for all and just, stable and prosperous societies,” said Ban.

“Health is a human right,” Ban says “When people are not able to access the healthcare they need, especially if this is for reasons of cost, their human rights are denied. It is vital for the wider fight for rights, justice and sustainable development that policymakers’ actions are informed by this linkage.”

Read the ed-op: https://theelders.org/…/why-public-finance-key-delivering-h…
Learn more about the UHC Day: http://universalhealthcoverageday.org/
Photo: The Elders

“The global challenge requires global solution,” stresses Ban Ki-moon at the Arctic Circle Korea Forum 2018

December 10, 2018

“Issues of the Arctic is not for any single or a group of countries to solve alone. The global challenge requires global solution. Not a single country, however powerful or resourceful one may be, can do it alone,”

said BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon at the Arctic Circle Korea Forum 2018.

The Arctic Circle Secretariat In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea, Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), and Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) hosted the Arctic Circle Forum in Seoul, Korea on December 7-8th, 2018.

Under the theme of this year, “Asia meets the Arctic : Science, Connectivity and Partnership,” the Forum targeted:

Arctic Science to serve the Arctic and global needs
Arctic Innovation
Asian Perspective on the Arctic

Lear more about the Forum here: http://www.acforum2018.co.kr/
Watch Ban Ki-moon’s speeches: https://www.youtube.com/watch…

The Peace Museum of the 8th United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opens in Eumseong

December 7, 2018

“The Peace Museum of the 8th United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon” had its grand opening on December 6th, 2018. The museum has been established in Eum Seong, a small county in Korea where Ban was born.

The 2800-square-meter museum is equipped with a cultural center that exhibits donated souvenirs that Ban has received from all over the world, materials and videos related to the UN, and also a virtual-experience hall for the Model UN General Assembly. There are also lecture rooms, an outdoor performance stage, and meeting rooms.

Beginning from next year in January, the museum will provide varied experience programs through which youth can learn more about the UN and become inspired to be global citizens. The museum is also surrounded by the Ban Ki-moon Peace Land and the Ban Ki-moon Memorial Hall.

“I hope the peace museum will become a venue for education that helps our youth become global citizens,” said Ban.

At the opening ceremony of the museum, around 300 guests came to celebrate it, including the Ambassadors from the Austrian Embassy, Kuwaiti Embassy, and Tanzanian Embassy in Seoul.

Ban also delivered a special lecture on the topic of “the United Nations and 21st-Century Leadership” at Eum Seong High School, encouraging the students to understand how they can contribute to make the world a better place.

Photo: Eumseong County Office

Ban Ki-moon Sends his Condolences for the Passing of Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush

December 3, 2018

The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens in Vienna, together with its Co-Chairs Ban Ki-moon and Heinz Fischer and its Board Members send their condolences to the Bush family on the occasion of the passing of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush. In a letter to his son, former U.S. President George W. Bush, Ban Ki-moon wrote:

“The late President was a true statesman, humanitarian, and a devoted public servant. The world is forever indebted to his leadership and diplomatic acumen for safely navigating through the tumultuous collapse of the Soviet Union, bringing the end to the Cold War and guided it into a new era of freedom, peace, and prosperity. Out of the White House, his continued public service in places such as tsunami-hit Thailand inspired many around the world.”

“I will never forget the first encounter with him in the Oval Office back in 1990. As a Korean diplomat accompanying the foreign minister at the time, I was touched by his genuine care for the US-Korea alliance and its future. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, I cherish the memory of speaking with him and First Lady Barbara Bush on the occasion of delivering an address to a kind-hearted audience at the Bush Presidential Library, Texas in 2008.”

Picture: © APA – Austria Presse Agentur

Global Citizen Festival initiated 5.65M actions led to 58 commitments and announcements

December 2, 2018

Global Citizen, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ partner, successfully hosted the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 on December 2nd, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. In celebration of the centenary of Nelson Mandela, the festival aimed to raise awareness of the need for more people taking actions for reaching the Global Goals including ending the extreme poverty and achieving gender equality. It featured the world-renowned artists such as Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Ed Sheeran, and many others, for which the tickets were given out for free to those who have successfully taken actions to make a social impact as global citizens.

Over 5.65 million actions were led to 58 commitments and announcements worth $7,207,436,824, which amount is set to affect the lives of 137,368,628 people in the world. Global Citizen surpassed its goal for commitments of USD $1 billion by seven times, with commitments from the World Bank, Vodacom, PEPFAR, Cisco, the government of South Africa and not to mention co-hosts of Mandela 100, the Motsepe Foundation. These donations alone added $5.4 billion on top of projected new commitments.

Top commitments:

Neglected Tropical Diseases: The fight to end debilitating, disfiguring, and fatal Neglected Tropical Diseases took a big step forward with impressive commitments from the END Fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Aid, Virgin Unite, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the ELMA Foundation (UK), Mozambique, Botswana, and Belgium worth $149.9 million.
HIV/AIDS: A number of significant pledges were made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Ambassador Deborah Birx, on behalf of the United States, made an historic commitment of $1.2 billion channelled through PEPFAR on Global Citizen’s stage. It is the largest pledge the US government has made to HIV/AIDS. Alongside this pledge, the Global Fund committed $369 million in South Africa over the next 3 years. Of this sum, USD $90 million is set to go towards preventing new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women most at risk.
Motsepe Foundation: The hosting and presenting partner of the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 announced a series of massive commitments totaling over USD $104.4 million. These commitments, announced by Dr. Precious Motsepe and Patrice Motsepe are set to advance education, economic inclusion, and equality of women and girls, as well as to ensure that current land discussions and processes in South Africa will result in land being made available to black people living in rural and urban areas.
South Africa: His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, former anti-apartheid leader alongside Nelson Mandela, addressed the FNB Stadium and viewers around the world with a message of Global Citizenship, committing RAND 2 million for youth in South Africa, and announcing the government’s intention to spend RAND 6 billion to provide free access to school for poor children in South Africa.
Education: Significant strides were made to #FundEducation, with Sierra Leone committing to increase its education budget to 21.5%, Canada committing CAD $50,000,000 to Education Cannot Wait, and Germany committing to double its funding of the Global Partnership for Education from €18M to €37M and to increase its funding of Education Cannot Wait by €15M for a total of €31M. The government of Kenya also made a bold commitment to spend close to 30% of its budget on education.

Top announcements

The US Congressional Black Caucusannounced bipartisan support for taking action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through United States leadership and foreign aid.
Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that Ireland will increase its aid budget by 15% in 2019, working toward its goal of allocating 0.7% of its total budget to ODA.
Ghana has taken the lead alongside a number of Commonwealth countries and signed onto the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace – a digital peace initiative.

Read more about what impacts the actions of the global citizens have brought: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/mandela-100-impact-report-2018/

Photo: Jens Meyer / AP Images

BKMC hosts “Advocacy: Your Tool for Change” workshop at the African Youth Development Summit

November 30, 2018

BKMC CEO Monika Froehler hosted a workshop on “advocacy: your tool for change” at the African Youth Development Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 30th, 2018.

With 120 advocates, the Summit co-hosted by BKMC partner JCI and Africa 80 aimed to help young African leaders identify the challenges they face and actively seek for solutions for the sustainable future. The 3-day summit was free to attend, and upon successful completion of their participation, each participant received a complimentary ticket to the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 organized by Global Citizen.

Ban Ki-moon Centre Participates in Event on the SDGs Featuring Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

November 29, 2018

This week, the Ban Ki-moon Centre featured at an event entitled, “The 2030 Agenda – From Global Goals to Local Implementation” hosted by the Swedish Embassy in Vienna. BKMC CEO Monika Froehler moderated the event and led a discussion on the SDGs and local implementation in Austria as well as around the world.

The event began with welcoming remarks from H.E. Ambassador Mikaela Kumlin Granit of the Swedish Embassy followed by a powerful opening statement by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden that set the stage for the discussion that followed. Her H.R.H Princess Victoria said:

“The implementation of the 2030 Agenda is a high priority for the Swedish government, but also for me personally. As advocate of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, I am delighted to see the commitment with which Austria is working to implement the Agenda. Progress is indeed being made, but now we need to step up the pace.”

Following the opening statement, Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia, who is also the former President of the United Nations General Assembly, delivered a keynote in which he stressed the importance of empowering youth and women. He stated:

“Half of this planet are people under 30, and half of this planet are women,” and “our youth are not the future generation; they are here now, and we need to listen to them now.”

Minister Lajčák also thanked the Swedish government for its support of the implementation of SDG 14, “Life Below Water.”

After the keynote, a panel discussion was moderated by BKMC CEO Monika Froehler, featuring DG Li Yong of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Director-General Désirée Schweitzer of the Department for Development Cooperation at the Austrian Foreign Ministry, VP Ulrike Rabmer-Koller of the Austrian Economic Chambers and Director Monika Langthaler of the R20 Austrian World Summit. Experts from Global Responsibility, Sustainable Energy for All, and the IKEA Foundation also shared their expert insights.

Overall, the event emphasized the need for more advocacy, finance, and innovation to achieve implementation of the SDGs and further global collaboration to reach the most marginalized communities. During the Q&A session, the “Youth SDG Advocates” provided by the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens asked questions about the role that the international community should play in advancing the SDGs and how youth can be engaged and represented.

Check out the full video of the event below!