BKMC Board members actively participate in the parallel sessions of the GEEF 2019

February 15, 2019

At the Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum (GEEF) 2019 co-organized by the Centre, the IGEE, Yonsei University, KOICA, and Seoul Institute in Seoul on February 14-15th, some of the BKMC Board members who participated in the Forum featured at different parallel sessions.

Ambassador Sadiq Marafi of the Embassy of the State of Kuwait & Permanent Mission to the United Nations participated in the panel of the session for “Financing for the SDGs.” At the discussion, he shared recent contributions and achievements the Kuwaiti government has made in advancing each Sustainable Development Goal. He spoke about the Kuwaiti government’s donation of 1 million dollars to BKMC (2018), 3 million dollars to the IAEA in Vienna (2015), 500 million dollars to the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank as well as a number of other international organizations and governments that Kuwait has supported.

At the session entitled “Saving Children from the Horrors of War,” Senior Advisor Andrea Pfanzelter of KAICIID spoke about the important roles of international community in mediating cultural and religious conflicts, pointing out that

“Children are the single most vulnerable group in conflict-affected areas. Without adequate safety, justice and support they fall victim to the abuses of war, which destroys a society’s chance of recovery by eroding the social cohesion of a future generation.”

Director of Corporate Responsibility of RELX Group, Dr. Márcia Balisciano, moderated a session “International Young Scholars’ Perspectives: Spotlight on National Initiatives for the SDGs I” where speakers discussed various topics covered by the papers that the scholars have submitted. Senior professionals and experts in the relevant field exchanged their insights and knowledge with the young scholars and the audience. An award ceremony followed the session where the winners of the selected papers received awards.

For the “Youth as Partners to Achieve the SDGs” session moderated by Sam Okyere, a TV host in Korea, Co-founder and Vice President Michael Sheldrick of Global Citizen participated as an advisor to the youth presenters who presented their innovative ideas and project plans for advancing the SDGs. Sheldrick did not only mentor the students, giving them his insights on their projects, but also introduced existing mentoring programs and potential partners they could approach to further develop their projects.

This youth session introduced various student-led initiatives such as the Environmental Group “Yongreen,” “YeS” that works to free the world from urban waste, “Rhythm of Hope” for rescuing patients for disaster medical cost, “Education for Democratic Citizenship,” Medical Volunteering Club “Uichung,” and “YMDU” that aims to reduce inequality through Yonsei Hope Expedition.

Read more about the other sessions held during the GEEF 2019: geef-sd.org

Photo credit for the cover picture: BKMC / Others: IGEE

The Ban Ki-moon Centre Hosts Workshop on “The Global Citizen Mindset” at JCI World Congress in Goa, India

November 4, 2018

On November 1^st, 2018, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens hosted a workshop at Junior Chamber International’s (JCI) World Congress in Goa, India. The workshop was facilitated by the Centre’s Associate Julia Zimmerman.

The session was entitled “The Global Citizen Mindset.” It focused on advocacy and included examples of best practices which were featured on the panel. Besides sharing best practices, the session helped participants learn more about opportunities to engage in advocacy both through JCI-led initiatives and other global initiatives.

The first part of the session included an introduction of advocacy, global citizenship, and the Ban Ki-moon Centre as well as a short presentation by the Kofi Annan Foundation’s Extremely Together initiative working to combat violent extremism. In addition to receiving an overview of the initiative, a representative from Extremely Together, Hassan Ndugwa from Uganda, shared his personal experience with violent extremism with the participants.

After this, a panel was invited to the stage to share their insights. The panel included Maud Roure from Extremely Together and the Kofi Annan Foundation, Adetola Juyitan from I am Africa Nigera, Pascal Dike from Peace is Possible, Kevin Hin from Step Up For Europe, and Heidi Solba from Let’s Do it World and World Cleanup Day.

During the panel, the panelists were asked about the challenges young people face in building and growing movements and what it takes for movements to have sustainable societal and political impact.

Following the Q&A, participants split up into groups with the panelists for round-table discussions. During the round-table discussions, participants considered the challenges as well as the solutions they have encountered in their own work or in the work of other initiatives. They also discussed which community stake-holders must be engaged in order to address issues in a powerful and meaningful way.

After the round-table discussions, the facilitator shared the different ways to get involved with the initiatives spotlighted at the session and encouraged those present to engage as advocates with a “global citizen mindset.”

The Ban Ki-moon Centre looks forward to partnership with JCI on more exciting events in the future. Learn more about the initiatives mentioned and find out ways to get involved by clicking on the names that are linked to their websites.

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 24^th. 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

Tag: panel discussion