BAN Ki-moon

Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia;

The 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations

Ban Ki-moon is the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations. He served two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2016.

Throughout his tenure at the UN, Mr. Ban strove to be a bridge builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and to make the Organization more transparent and effective. He successfully pressed for action to combat climate change–an effort that culminated in the adoption and rapid entry into force of the landmark Paris Agreement in 2016. He worked closely with member states of the UN to shape the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to establish UN Women, which has been advancing the Organization’s work for gender equality and women’s empowerment. He also launched major efforts to strengthen UN peace operations, to protect human rights, to improve humanitarian response, to prevent violent extremism, and to revitalize the disarmament agenda.

At the time of his appointment to the UN, Mr. Ban was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea. During his 37 years with the Ministry, his responsibilities included serving as Foreign Policy Adviser to the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Vice Minister, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning, and Director-General for American Affairs. He was also actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.

He currently serves as the Chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, President of the Assembly & Chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute, Honour Member of the International Olympic Committee, Emeritus member of The Elders and Honorary Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation.

He received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970 and a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985.