Ban Ki-moon

Diplomat, Politician

1944 –

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Who is Ban Ki-moon?

Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before becoming Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he graduated from university, accepting his first post in New Delhi, India. In the foreign ministry, he established a reputation for modesty and competence.

Ban was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea from January 2004 to November 2006. In February 2006 he began to campaign for the office of Secretary-General. Ban was initially considered a long shot for the office. As foreign minister of Korea, however, he was able to travel to all the countries on the United Nations Security Council, a maneuver that turned him into the campaign's front runner.

On October 13, 2006, he was elected to be the eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly. On January 1, 2007, he succeeded Kofi Annan. Ban struggled in his first month to adjust to the culture of the United Nations, but quickly found his bearings and passed several major reforms on peacekeeping and UN employment practices. Diplomatically, Ban has taken particularly strong views on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly with U.S. President George W. Bush, and on the Darfur conflict, where he helped persuade Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir to allow peacekeeping troops to enter Sudan.

Famous Quotes:

  • “The international community cannot accept that whole communities are marginalized because of the color of their skin. People of African descent are among those most affected by racism. Too often, they face denial of basic rights such as access to quality health services and education. Such fundamental wrongs have a long and terrible history.”

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Born
Jun 13, 1944
Eumseong County
Also known as
  • Ban Ki Moon
  • Ki-moon Ban
  • 반기문
  • 潘基文
  • riya
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Confucianism
  • Buddhism
Ethnicity
  • Korean people
Nationality
  • South Korea
Profession
Education
  • Bachelor's degree, Seoul National University
    International relations
    ( - 1970)
  • Master of Public Administration, John F. Kennedy School of Government
    ( - 1985)
  • Chungju High School
Employment
  • Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations
    (2007/01/01 - )
Lived in
  • North Chungcheong Province

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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"Ban Ki-moon." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/ban_ki-moon>.

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