{"id":8176,"date":"2018-03-01T09:15:57","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T14:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/?p=8176"},"modified":"2018-03-02T09:39:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T14:39:46","slug":"former-un-secretary-general-kicks-off-bu-think-tank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/2018\/03\/01\/former-un-secretary-general-kicks-off-bu-think-tank\/","title":{"rendered":"Former UN Secretary-General Kicks Off BU Think Tank"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ban Ki-moon encourages students to think globally<\/h2>\n
\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, gave the keynote speech kicking off the opening of BU’s new Global Development Policy Center. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Former secretary-general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon<\/a> told a standing-room only crowd at BU\u2019s Metcalf Trustee Center on Wednesday that global partnerships will be the key to solving the planet\u2019s biggest social, economic, and environmental problems.<\/p>\n

The South Korean diplomat said the need for such partnerships makes it troubling for him to see US leaders backing away from the Paris Climate Accord, one of his proudest achievements as secretary-general.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a problem,\u201d Ban said. \u201cI\u2019m afraid the US people may stand on the wrong side of history if they do not return to this [agreement] as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ban\u2019s speech kicked off the opening of BU\u2019s new Global Development Policy (GDP) Center<\/a> at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.<\/p>\n

In opening remarks, Robert A. Brown, president of BU, told the students, academics, and staff in attendance that the center will bring together scholars seeking to actively engage in research and dialogue related to policy.<\/p>\n

Center director Kevin P. Gallagher<\/a>, a Pardee School professor of global development policy, explained the center\u2019s work to those attending, saying that it will cut across disciplines to seek solutions to global challenges. Initiatives may involve the study of consumerism and deforestation in the Amazon, the creation of global development banks in struggling economies, or China\u2019s outsize role in the global economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe GDP Center\u2019s mission is to advance policy-oriented research on financial stability, human well-being, and environmental sustainability across the globe,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cIf there is one leader that embodies all these qualities in our mission, it is Secretary General Ban.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ban, who served two consecutive terms as secretary-general, from 2007 to 2016, worked on ways to lessen the effects of the 2009 global financial crisis. He was instrumental in the creation of the UN\u2019s sustainable development goals<\/a>, a collection of 17 global objectives that aim to address a host of issues, including poverty, hunger, health, education, and gender equality.<\/p>\n

In his talk, titled Sustainable Development Goals and Global Citizenship, Ban encouraged the students attending, many of whom plan to work in public health\u2013related jobs, research, or diplomacy, to think of both the planet and humanity beyond national boundaries.<\/p>\n

He told the audience that the UN and its members cannot bear the responsibility for making partnerships alone in an era where technology is reshaping the landscape, creating both uncertainty and new possibilities. \u201cI humbly ask you to work together,\u201d he said. \u201cThis world is heavily divided, society is divided. It seems like it would be quite difficult to forge partnerships. But there are refugees, there are people who need support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ban acknowledged that extreme global poverty has dropped, but said that this was largely because of China\u2019s soaring economy and rising middle class. He noted that there are still 700 million people in the world who go to bed hungry, 1.2 billion people who lack safe drinking water, and 1.4 billion people who have no electricity and live primarily by candlelight. Inequality is also growing between nations, he said: 50 percent of increasing global wealth benefits the top one percent of the population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is purely unjust and unequal,\u201d Ban said, adding that inequality is one of the reasons the UN created the sustainable development goals.<\/p>\n

Such work must also foster peace and security, he said, because without it, people cannot engage in a productive society. Conflicts continue, but the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, with both North and South Korea appearing under the same flag, offer an example of a path toward progress. Such efforts help create an opportunity for a dialogue with North Korea on its policies and nuclear escalation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this time, it would be extremely important to\u2026engage in more meaningful dialogue,\u201d Ban said. \u201cThis is my wish as a former UN secretary-general and a Korean citizen.\u201d The United States, China, Japan, and other nations can also be influential by joining such a dialogue.<\/p>\n

Ban said he has been encouraged by the #wearestillin pledge by hundreds of US mayors, big business, and others promising to continue efforts to address climate change. And he said he looks to young people under the age of 25 and women as a force for global change because together they are 75 percent of the global population.<\/p>\n

Academic institutions are also essential partners, said Ban, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970 and a master\u2019s degree in public administration at Harvard University\u2019s Kennedy School of Government in 1985. \u201cThey are launch pads for the solutions to the seemingly insurmountable problems that we face,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Such statements resonated with Nalim \u201cJasmin\u201d Choi (SSW\u201918, SPH\u201918), a School of Public Health research assistant, who wants to one day work in the public health field helping refugees. Choi was among many South Korean students in attendance, and said she has long been a fan of Ban\u2019s initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I heard he was coming, I booked it,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s done a lot for the refugee crisis in the Middle East, as well as looking at maternal health equity issues. His work is so timely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nabeel Nissar (CGS\u201914, CAS\u201918, GRS\u201918), whose family is from the impoverished and disputed Kashmir region north of India and Pakistan, said he was inspired by Ban\u2019s message. He said he wants to better understand ways he can have a global impact in his science studies. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to get sad about all the conflicts all around us,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s important to recognize the responsibility we have to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was an empowering speech.\u201d<\/p>\n

Author, Megan Woolhouse can be reached at megwj@bu.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ban Ki-moon encourages students to think globally Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, gave the keynote speech kicking off the opening of BU’s new Global Development Policy Center. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi. Former secretary-general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon told a standing-room only crowd at BU\u2019s Metcalf Trustee Center on Wednesday that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7048,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[34,33,378,443,159,444,212,142,13,102,207,5,373,422,27,165,442,282],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8176"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7048"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8176"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8178,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8176\/revisions\/8178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/federal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}