On February 20, 2018, Mr. Ban Ki-moon was elected as the President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). His leadership enables the Institute to help its Members to successfully adopt the green growth model of development, which is in line with the work he spearheaded at the United Nations.
In addition to leading GGGI, Mr. Ban serves as the Chair of Korea’s National Council on Climate and Air Quality since April 2019 and Chair of the Boao Forum for Asia since April 2018. Along with the former President of Austria Mr. Heinz Fischer, he serves as Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens in Vienna, Austria since January 2018. Mr. Ban is the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Ethics Commission since September 2017, and he is the Distinguished Chair Professor and Honorary Chairman at the Institute of Global Engagement and Empowerment at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Mr. Ban also serves as Deputy Chair of The Elders since 2017, an independent group of global leaders established by President Nelson Mandela.
Prior to the current appointments above, Mr. Ban served two consecutive terms as the Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 2007 to 2016, during which time he worked to build bridges, to give voice to the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized people, and to bring transparency and effectiveness to the UN. He successfully initiated global action to combat climate change that culminated in the adoption and rapid entry into force the landmark Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2016. He worked closely with member states to shape the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to establish UN Women, the latter of which advances global gender equality and women’s empowerment. He also led major efforts to strengthen UN peace operations, protect human rights, improve humanitarian assistance, prevent violent extremism and revitalize disarmament activities.
Prior to leading the UN, Mr. Ban was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea. His 37-year career as a diplomat included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C., and Vienna, as well as key responsibilities for a variety of portfolios, including as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President, the Chief National Security Advisor to the President, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Deputy Minister for Policy Planning, and the Director-General for American Affairs. Mr. Ban contributed significantly to issues relating to inter-Korea relations and WMD proliferation by serving as Vice Chair of the South—North Joint Nuclear Control Commission and Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.
Mr. Ban holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Seoul National University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
