Our Present – Our Future: Forum on Global Citizenship and Youth Inclusion

June 26, 2019

Young people under the age of 30 accounts for over half of the world’s population. Connected to each other like never before, young people have the capacity to learn from one another’s contributions to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political change. They are also agents of change, mobilizing to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.

The Youth Forum on Global Citizenship and Youth Inclusion for the SDGs Peace and Security held at the CTBT Science & Technology Conference on June 24 emphasized yet again that multilateralism must include the younger generations to foster sustainable solutions to complex global challenges.

The Forum formed an integral part of the landmark conference. After welcome remarks by CTBTO’s Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo, Dr Heinz Fischer was asked to deliver a special address, encouraging the young audience to be changemakers:

Dear friends,

Dear next generation,

Unless we raise our eyes above the horizon and take action now, we are facing a climate catastrophe.

Unless we reduce inequalities between and within countries, and reduce nationalism and xenophobia, we will risk war.

So please challenge your leaders, your friends, your colleagues – and even yourselves.

Inspire those around you to care about the world we share.

We should not forget that you are not only the future, you are the present!

Monika Froehler, CEO of the Ban Ki-moon Centre, moderated an interactive panel discussion of young leaders who addressed the challenges they had faced to promote change and shared their insights about youth platforms that work to include young voices in the discussions.

The Forum encouraged active participation by the audience through an interactive online presentation. Through several surveys, the audience was able to share their opinion, make statements, ask questions, and tell a bit about themselves.

Find the results from the online presentation-survey here:

  

Ban Ki-moon visits Rome to discuss peace and security

April 15, 2019

During his visit to Rome, Italy on April 10-12th, Co-chair Ban Ki-moon attended a forum on the topic of world peace and security. The Forum was attended by world leaders, including Dr. Shin Dae-yong, Chair of the The Shin Dae-yong Global Peace Institute, and Former South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Sook.

Ban also had a meeting with Cardinal Peter Turkson of the Holy See, who was appointed by Pope Francis as the first prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development in 2017, to discuss the betterment of human development and prosperity.

The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens partners with UNESCO APCEIU to collaborate on GCED

October 23, 2018

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens and UNESCO APCEIU (Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under the auspices of UNESCO) signed an MOU on October 19th, 2018.

Both Centres aim to promote global citizenship through education to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The APCEIU organizes annual international conference on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and provides online courses, workshops, and various other platforms to share their expertise and knowledge on GCED.

Last month, the Ban Ki-moon Centre participated in the APCEIU’s 3rd International Conference on GCED; Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered congratulatory remarks and CEO Monika Froehler moderated a session on “GCED Talks.” The conference provided “an active platform to promote dialogue and share up-to-date issues and good practices of global citizenship education,” said APCEIU Director Utak Chung.

As Co-chair Ban emphasized that “nothing can be done without good education,” both institutions will cooperate to provide quality education on global citizenship. Scholarships, fellowships, workshops, and other academic programs will be jointly initiated to spread the notion of global citizenship with a focus on empowering women and youth across the world.

Photo: UNESCO APCEIU

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens Featured at European Forum Alpbach 2018

August 25, 2018

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ Co-chairs, Board members, and all its staffs participated in European Forum Alpbach (EFA) 2018. President Franz Fischler of EFA welcomed the BKM Centre during the opening plenary session of the political symposium, at which Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered a keynote speech on sustainable development and the future of the world. The full text of the keynote speech can be found here.

EFA is an international forum where experts from different fields such as arts, culture, economics, legislation, financial market, health, politics, etc. gather to freely share their expertise, knowledge, and ideas. Given the fact that it is hosted in a rural area surrounded by mountains, the forum provides a rather unique experience to its participants to network in relatively more open-minded setting.

Some of the Centre’s Board members were featured in breakout sessions and discussions at the forum where hundreds of professionals and aspiring youth leaders gathered to learn and expand their knowledge.

More information about the sessions held for the political symposium can be found here: https://www.alpbach.org/en/event/pol18/
Pictures of the BKM Centre’s engagements during EFA are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/141786750@N06/albums

Photo: Laurent Ziegler / European Forum Alpbach

Ban suggests adopting the “Negative Regulation System” for sustainable future at the 2018 FKI CEO Summer Forum

July 26, 2018

The Centre’s Co-chairman Ban Ki-moon gave a speech at the 2018 FKI CEO Summer Forum on the topic of sustainable future that Korean corporations will make. The forum is annually organized by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and is a knowledge-share platform for the CEOs in every sector and industry in Korea. This year, the forum was held in Jeju with a theme “Create New Opportunities, Create New Future.”

Ban emphasized the necessity of adopting “Negative Regulation System” that allows everything possible except what is impossible in order to prepare for the 4th industrial revolution. Through the system, he urged to maximize human creativity. Regarding the possible economic cooperation between two Koreas, Ban expressed hope for the leap of Korean corporations in utilization of unlimited potential growth of North Korean economy on the basis of “trust but verify” attitude.

Photo: FKI
Source: http://www.edaily.co.kr/news/news_detail.asp?newsId=03834326619275832&mediaCodeNo=257&OutLnkChk=Y

Ban gives opening remarks at the Carbon Market Forum 2018

July 24, 2018

As the President and the Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Centre’s Co-chairman Ban Ki-moon gave opening and welcoming remarks at the Carbon Market Forum 2018 held in Seoul, Korea on July 24th. The forum was hosted by Coalition for Our Common Future and Korea Environment Corporation in partnership with the GGGI and KAIST Sustainable Development Center. With a theme on Korea’s Carbon Market & COP 24 Strategy, Ban shared his expectation that Korea and the international community better cope with the climate change.

During the forum, A.J. Meyer Professor Robert N. Stavins of Energy and Economic Development at Harvard Kennedy School gave a keynote. As he is also the Director of Harvard Environmental Economics Program and the Director of Harvard Project on Climate Agreements, Professor Stavins raised a question whether the Paris Agreement can be the solution and shared his insights on the key tasks of the COP 24. Presentations and panel discussions were followed on the topics of the greenhouse gas emission reduction, Korea’s strategy for COP 24, coal power plant and energy transition, micro climate action, etc..

Photo: E News Today

Ban Ki-moon Urged the Implementation of LDN at the First Global Land Neutrality Degradation Forum

July 9, 2018

Ban Ki-moon Centre’s Co-chairman Ban Ki-moon, who is also the Assembly President and Council Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), urged global efforts on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and support for the Peace Forest Initiative at the first Global LDN Forum.

This two-day forum was co-hosted by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the UNCCD in Seoul, Korea, having the attendance of more than 200 participants from both the public and the private sector as well as international organizations, NGOs, and academia.

LDN is defined as “a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems” by the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The gathered participants and the entities took the opportunity to discuss experiences and ideas on how the international community can cooperate and best practice the implementation of LDN.

Ban said, “With growing pressures on our lands, we – as both the caretakers and offenders of our planet – need to prevent future losses in social, natural and economic capital through the development and implementation of land degradation neutrality.”

During the forum, a high-level inter-Korean dialogue also took place, which was to call for cooperation for implementing the Peace Forest Initiative with North Korea.

“Just a short drive due north from here, there exists one of the gravest environmental situations,” said Ban. He shared his hope that “based on KFS’ successful experiences on the forestry sector, GGGI, UNCCD, and other international partners can play a key role in supporting the momentum.”

 

Source:
GGGI – http://gggi.org/gggis-assembly-president-and-council-chair-ban-ki-moon-urges-global-efforts-on-land-degradation-neutrality-and-supports-the-inter-korean-peace-forest-initiative/
UNCCD – https://www.unccd.int/actions/achieving-land-degradation-neutrality

Photo: Korea Forest Service