UN Photo/Mark Garten

Ban Ki-moon(Republic of Korea) - Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. His priority has been to mobilize the world's leaders to address a range of new global challenges, from climate change and economic disruption to pandemics and the growing burden of food, energy and water challenges. He strives to help build bridges, to be a voice for the aspirations of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people and to strengthen the Organization itself.

“I grew up during the war,” said the Secretary-General, “and saw how the United Nations helped my country recover. This is largely why I decided to go into public service. As Secretary-General, I am committed to ensuring that the work of this Organization produces real and tangible results for peace, development and human rights.”

Mr. Pan took office on January 1, 2007. The following are the main directions of his activities as Secretary General:

Promoting sustainable development

One of the Secretary-General's first major initiatives was the 2007 Climate Change Conference, followed by tireless diplomatic efforts to place the issue at the top of the global agenda. Subsequent efforts to focus on achieving the world's core poverty eradication goals, as set out in , have raised more than $60 billion in pledges, with a special focus on Africa and the new Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health. As the food, energy and economic crises escalated to extremes in 2008, the Secretary-General asked the G20 for $1 trillion. US dollars to developing countries, which it did, and also took other steps to lead international efforts to protect the poor and vulnerable.

Women's empowerment

The Secretary-General has achieved the creation of a major new agency that covers all United Nations activities in this area. The Secretary-General's efforts to protect women's rights and ensure their equality with men also include the "End Rape Now" campaign and the creation of a new position. Within the United Nations itself, the Secretary-General has increased the proportion of women in senior leadership positions by more than 40 percent, making the percentage of women at this level the highest in the history of the Organization.

Supporting countries in crisis or instability

The Secretary-General sought to strengthen United Nations peace efforts, including through the Peacekeeping Initiative, the Global Field Support Strategy and the Civil Capability Review, a set of measures to improve the effectiveness of the 120,000 United Nations Blue Helmets deployed in conflict zones . The establishment of a mediation support unit and new capacity for the good offices of the Secretary-General are intended to help prevent, manage and resolve tensions, conflicts and crises. Investigations into events in Gaza, Guinea, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, legal proceedings in Lebanon and Cambodia, and advocacy for the responsibility to protect, a new United Nations standard designed to prevent and stop genocide and other serious crimes, have attracted High-level attention to the issue of accountability for human rights violations. It also sought to strengthen humanitarian response following natural disasters in Myanmar (2008), Haiti (2010) and Pakistan (2010) and mobilized United Nations support in the context of democratic transitions in North Africa and in the Middle East.

Fostering new dynamics in disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation

The Secretary-General sought to reinvigorate the disarmament agenda through a five-point plan, efforts to break the Conference on Disarmament impasse and a focus on nuclear safety in the wake of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant tragedy.

Strengthening the United Nations

The Secretary-General adopted measures aimed at increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the United Nations. These measures include stricter income reporting requirements, senior management contracts, harmonization of work practices and conditions of service, adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards, and continued investment in information technology and training.

The Secretary General was born on June 13, 1944 in the Republic of Korea. He graduated from Seoul National University in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in international relations. In 1985, he received a Master of Public Administration from the School of Government. Kennedy at Harvard University.

At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea. During his 37 years of service in the Department, he was stationed in New Delhi, Washington, and Vienna and was responsible for a variety of functions, including Advisor to the President for Foreign Policy, Principal Advisor to the President for National Security Affairs, Under Secretary for Policy Planning, and Director General of the American department.

Mr. Ban has a long-standing relationship with the United Nations, dating back to 1975 when he worked for the United Nations Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over the years, his work in this area expanded, including serving as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and serving as Chief of the Office of the President of the General Assembly during the 2001-2002 presidency of the Assembly. Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in issues related to inter-Korean relations.

The Secretary General speaks English, Korean and French. He and his wife, Ms. Yoo (Pan) Soon Daek, whom he met in 1962 when they were middle school students, have a son, two daughters and four grandchildren. Since 2007, Ms. Pan has worked on women's and children's health issues, including autism, ending violence against women and the campaign to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Born June 13, 1944. At school he was a brilliant student. In 1962, Ban Ki-moon won a school paper competition organized by the Red Cross and was awarded a trip to the United States. During this trip he was honored with a meeting with President John Kennedy. When asked by journalists about his future career, Ban Ki-moon answered without hesitation: “I want to be a diplomat.”

In 1970, Mr. Pan received a bachelor's degree in international relations from Seoul National University. In 1985 he became a Master of Public Administration at the School of Management. Kennedy at Harvard University.

Cooperation with the United Nations began for Ban Ki-moon in 1975, working in the UN department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

He later served as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York, Director of the United Nations Office at the Ministry Headquarters in Seoul and Ambassador in Vienna, and during this period, in 1999, he served as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Organization under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. In 2000, he was appointed Under Secretary for Policy Planning and Director General of the Department's Americas Division. In 2001-2002, as Chief of Staff to the President of the General Assembly, who was the representative of the Republic of Korea, he facilitated the swift adoption of the first resolution of that session condemning the terrorist attacks of 11 September and launched a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the functioning of the Assembly, and thereby helped ensure that a session that began in a climate of crisis and confusion became one that adopted a number of critical reforms.

In January 2004, Ban headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Korea. One of the main areas of his work was relations between the two Korean states. Ban adhered to the idea of ​​a peaceful Korean Peninsula. Back in 1992, as Special Advisor to the Foreign Secretary, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Joint North-South Nuclear Control Commission following the adoption of the Joint Declaration declaring the Korean Peninsula a nuclear-free zone. Ban also played a key role in the six-party talks to resolve the situation surrounding the DPRK's nuclear program, in particular in the adoption of a joint statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue in September 2005. During Ban's tenure, the Republic of Korea was criticized for not being sufficiently committed to protecting human rights in the DPRK.

In 2006, when speaking as a contender for the post of UN Secretary General, Ban named the settlement of relations between the world community and the DPRK as one of his main priorities. Pan's main opponent was Indian Shashi Tharoor. During the lengthy election process, Ban made calls for UN reform but refrained from laying out specific plans. In October 2006, Ban was elected Secretary General and took up his duties in this position on January 1, 2007.

UN Secretary General since 2007

Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations (since January 1, 2007), succeeding Kofi Annan. A career diplomat, he previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Korea.

Ban Ki-moon was born on June 13, 1944 in the city of Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, in the future territory of the Republic of Korea. In 1962, as part of the American Red Cross program, Pan visited the United States, where he met with President John Kennedy. According to Pan, this meeting led him to consider a diplomatic career. In 1970, Ban graduated from Seoul National University with a bachelor's degree in international relations. Later, in 1985, he received a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Since 1975, Ban Ki-moon worked in the UN department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. Over time, he became the first secretary of the country's permanent mission to the UN in New York, then - director of the UN department in the central office of the ministry in Seoul. In 1996, he was appointed chief adviser to the president on national security issues. In 1999, as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Austria, Ban chaired the preparatory committee for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBT). In 2000, he was appointed Under Secretary for Policy Planning and Director General of the Department's Americas Division.

On September 12, 2001, the day after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the 56th session of the UN General Assembly began under the chairmanship of South Korea. Ban served as chief of staff to the chairman of the GA (that is, the President of the Republic of Korea) and contributed to the prompt adoption of the GA resolution condemning the September 11 terrorist attacks. He put forward a number of initiatives to streamline the work of the GA during the crisis.

In January 2004, Ban headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Korea. One of the main areas of his work was relations between the two Korean states. Ban adhered to the idea of ​​a peaceful Korean Peninsula. Back in 1992, as Special Advisor to the Foreign Secretary, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Joint North-South Nuclear Control Commission following the adoption of the Joint Declaration declaring the Korean Peninsula a nuclear-free zone. Ban also played a key role in the six-party talks to resolve the situation surrounding the DPRK's nuclear program, in particular in the adoption of a joint statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue in September 2005. During Ban's tenure, the Republic of Korea was criticized for not being sufficiently committed to protecting human rights in the DPRK.

Ban named the settlement of relations between the world community and the DPRK as one of his main priorities in 2006, when he emerged as a contender for the post of UN Secretary General. Pan's main rival was Indian Shashi Tharoor. During the lengthy election process, Ban made calls for UN reform but refrained from laying out specific plans. In October 2006, Ban was elected to the post of Secretary General and on January 1, 2007, took up his duties in this post, which Kofi Annan vacated after ten years of leading the organization.

Ban Ki-moon was awarded the highest order of the Republic of Korea, the Order of Merit, three times (in 1975, 1986 and 2006). Married to Yoo (Park) Soon Daek, they have a son and two daughters.

Place of Birth. Education. Ban Ki-moon is from the Republic of Korea. He became the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations at the end of 2006, succeeding Ghanaian Kofi Annan. At that time, he had 37 years of experience in the Korean government, as well as in the international arena. Before the vote, all five permanent members of the UN Security Council spoke in favor of Ban Ki-moon taking Annan's place.

He received a bachelor's degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970. In 1985, he received a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Career. At the time of his election as Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of South Korea. Over the course of a number of years of work in the ministry, he was sent to Delhi, Washington, Vienna and was responsible for a number of areas. This included serving as Advisor to the President for Foreign Policy, Chief Advisor to the President for National Security Affairs, Under Secretary for Policy Planning, and Director General of the Americas Division. His work was guided by the vision of a peaceful Korean Peninsula playing an increasingly broader role in restoring peace and prosperity to the region and the world.

Ban Ki-moon has a long-standing relationship with the United Nations, dating back to 1975 when he worked in the UN department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over the years, work in this area has expanded. He served as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York, Director of the UN Office at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, and Ambassador in Vienna. During this period, in 1999, he was also Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

In 2001-2002 As chief of staff to the President of the General Assembly, who was the representative of the Republic of Korea, Ban Ki-moon facilitated the swift adoption of the first resolution of this session, condemning the terrorist attacks of September 11. He put forward a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the functioning of the Assembly. Largely thanks to Ban Ki-moon, the session, which began in an atmosphere of crisis and confusion, became very productive, and a number of important reforms were approved.

Actively participated in resolving issues related to relations between the two Koreas. In 1992, as Special Advisor to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Joint North-South Nuclear Control Commission following the adoption of the joint declaration declaring the Korean Peninsula a nuclear-weapon-free zone. In September 2005, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he took part in negotiations aimed at ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Then, at the six-party talks, a joint statement was adopted on resolving the nuclear issue related to North Korea.

Views and assessments. Ban Ki-moon is no stranger to increased attention to his person. As the BBC notes, he was at the center of events during the confrontation over North Korean nuclear weapons development, when six countries tried to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear plans. However, the negotiations failed and diplomacy did not bring results. This raised doubts about Ban Ki-moon's leadership qualities and his willingness to confront the United States.

Speaking about his tasks as UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon noted that the organization “should promise less and deliver more.” He intended to carry out organizational reform of the UN, which would allow “to regain the trust of member countries.”

A workaholic who did not allow himself a vacation for two years before his appointment as UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon is the personification of a successful Korean official. He reached the top without making enemies, favoring backroom deals rather than grand public gestures.

In South Korea, Ban Ki-moon's appointment was perceived as recognition of his outstanding success in transforming the country from a war-ravaged dictatorial state into one of Asia's prosperous democracies.

Ban Ki-moon had to lead an organization with an annual budget of $5 billion, whose reputation was marred by scandals over the corruption of its representatives.

On October 13, 2016, the UN General Assembly approved the former Prime Minister of Portugal as Secretary General of the organization. Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General on January 1, 2017.

On September 14, 2017, at the 131st session of the IOC, he was elected Chairman of the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee.

Prizes and awards. Recognized by many national and international prizes, medals and awards. In 1975, 1986 and 2006 he was awarded the highest order of the Republic of Korea - the Order of Merit.

Family. Ban Ki-moon and his wife, Ms. Yoo (Ban) Soon-daek (they met in 1962 when they were high school students) have a son and two daughters.

Ban Ki-moon - who is he? His name is often heard on television in news broadcasts. He was a South Korean diplomat and politician who headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this country in 2004-2006. Well, today Ban Ki-moon - who is he? Since the beginning of 2007, he became the eighth Secretary-General of the UN and continues to hold this position to the present day.

Ban Ki-moon: biography

His nationality is Korean. As you know, they are now a divided people living in two states - North and South Korea. In which Korea was Ban Ki-moon born? His biography began in 1944 in the central part of South Korea, near the city of Chungju, when this entire then unified country was under the rule of the Japanese Empire. Pan's father was a merchant and had his own trading warehouse. As a child, he experienced the horrors of the Korean War, when Ban's family was forced to flee to escape the North Korean army.

How did Ban Ki-moon live later? His biography turned out to be closely connected with the United States. In high school, he was a top student in English. To practice speaking, the boy often walked 10 km to a local factory where American specialists worked. His success was confirmed when in 1962 he won a language knowledge competition and traveled to the United States for several months, where he also met with President John F. Kennedy. It was then that Pan decided to become a diplomat.

What did Ban Ki-moon do to realize his dream? His biography continued at the university in Seoul, from which he graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in international relations. Later, already as a diplomat, he studied at the school named after. Kennedy, from which he graduated in 1985 with a master's degree in public administration.

How did Ban Ki-moon begin his diplomatic career? His biography in the diplomatic field began under the military dictatorship of Park Chung Hee (until 1979) and continued during the reign of President Chun Doo Hwan (1980-1988), who seized power after a military coup. Ban spent almost his entire long diplomatic career abroad, which allowed him to stay away from the vicissitudes of internal Korean politics.

Steps of the career ladder

In what countries did Ban Ki-moon work? His biography as a diplomat dates back to 1972, when he took the post of vice-consul in New Delhi. Two years later, he was appointed first secretary in his country's Permanent Observer Mission to the UN (South Korea was not a member of the UN until 1991, but had permanent observer status). In November 1980, he received the post of head of the UN department at the South Korean Foreign Ministry. In 1987 and again in 1992, he was assigned to the embassy in Washington, and between these assignments he served as the Foreign Ministry's general manager for American affairs.

From 1993 to 1994, Ban served as Deputy Ambassador of South Korea to the United States.

In 1995, he was appointed deputy minister for policy planning and international relations, and the following year became the chief adviser to the South Korean president on national security issues.

Conflict with the United States and dismissal from service

He became ambassador to Austria and Slovenia in 1998, and a year later was also elected chairman of the commission working to draft a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. In the course of this work, Ban made what he considers the biggest blunder of his career, namely, signing an open letter from an international group of diplomats calling for the preservation of the ABM treaty shortly after the United States withdrew from the treaty. To avoid US wrath, Ban Ki-moon was fired by President Kim Dae-jung, who also issued a public statement apologizing for the South Korean diplomat's actions.

Resumption in diplomatic service

Thus, at the beginning of the new millennium, Pan found himself an unemployed diplomat awaiting assignment to a distant and unimportant embassy. But in 2001, during the 56th session of the UN General Assembly, which South Korea presided over, to Ban's surprise, he was chosen as chief of staff to Assembly President Han Seung-soo. In 2003, newly elected President Roh Moo-hyun lifted Ban's "professional ban" and appointed him as one of his foreign policy advisers.

New takeoff and career peak

In January 2004, Ban became Foreign Minister under President Roh Moo-hyun. In September 2005, he played an important role in the so-called six-party talks in Beijing on the North Korean nuclear issue. After this, his government nominated Ban in January 2006 as a candidate for the election of the new UN Secretary General. He was elected to this post on October 13, 2006 by the UN General Assembly. On November 1, 2006, he resigned from the post of head of the South Korean Foreign Ministry, and on December 14, 2006, the new General Ban Ki-moon took the oath of office.

Activities at the most important international diplomatic post

How did the UN Ban Ki-moon perform after his election to office? At his first press conference on January 2, 2007, he did not condemn (contrary to the expectations of many) the execution of Saddam Hussein that took place three days earlier and stated that the issue of using the death penalty as a punishment for criminal offenses is a matter for each individual country. Ban was criticized for this position. Taking this into account, he said in a speech in Washington two weeks later that the growing trend in international law and domestic policy and practice is the phasing out of the use of the death penalty.

On March 22, 2007, he narrowly escaped death from a terrorist attack in Iraq. Only 50 meters from the building in which the UN Secretary General spoke, a rocket exploded, leaving a crater with a diameter of 1 m. His arrival was strictly secret, so it is assumed that the terrorists had an informant. To date, no terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for this attack.

In an interview with German media in July 2007 on the issue of a split at the UN over the legality of the US military operation in Iraq, Ban Ki-moon said: "We must appreciate this contribution of the United States to solving the Iraq problem." This was interpreted as a step away from his predecessor Kofi Annan's harsh criticism of US actions.

Ban visited the Darfur region in 2007, during the Sudanese crisis. After visiting the refugee camp, he was shocked by what he saw.

Ban Ki-moon became the first UN Secretary-General to take part in the mourning ceremony on August 6, 2010, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. For the first time, the US Ambassador was also there. The day before the ceremony, Ban Ki-moon met with survivors of the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and called at this meeting for the abandonment of all nuclear weapons so that their use would become impossible in principle.

In June 2011, his candidacy was approved by the UN General Assembly for the post of Secretary General for a second term, and on January 1, 2012, this position was again officially occupied by Ban Ki-moon. A photo of him from this period is presented below.

His second term was marked by large-scale crises in the Arab world. Unfortunately, the efforts made by the UN special envoys for Syria appointed by the Secretary General were not crowned with success. The UN has not taken an active position on the issue of the crisis in Ukraine; at least, not a single noticeable initiative has been heard of it so far.

Ban Ki-moon: personal life

He has been married for 40 years to his former classmate Yoo Sun-taek, whom he met at school back in 1962, and has one son and two daughters. Speaks English, French, Italian, German and Japanese.