Ban Ki-moon at BC

On February 27, Boston College had the privilege of hosting former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He was the chief of the U.N. for a decade, and before that he was South Korea’s foreign minister. He spoke on Tuesday about human welfare and global citizenship.

At his talk, Ban discussed climate change and the U.N.’s role in curbing it. He brought up some of his many accomplishments in battling climate change, remarking that “a lot of people in the international community call [him] Mr. Climate.” He also commended individual U.S. cities for agreeing to abide by the Paris Climate Agreement despite President Trump’s refusal to sign it. Overall, Ban emphasized the urgency of protecting the Earth, arguing that it is the only planet humans have.

Ban also spoke on the importance of empowering women to become leaders who will instigate change. Ban discussed his efforts to increase women’s rights at the UN, and was even presented with an award from gender equality advocates for “Delivering for Girls and Women.” He received this award in recognition of his “Every Woman Every Child” movement that works to address the unique health challenges that face women and children worldwide.

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Sources: 
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/chief-scheduled-speak-boston-college-53379947
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/03/un-secretary-general-ban-ki-moon-honoured-with-delivering-for-girls-and-women-award/
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