Uniting Nations in a Divided World: Discussion with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Featuring:

His Excellency Ban Ki-moon
Former Secretary-General
United Nations

In Conversation With:

Ambassador (ret) Kathleen Stephens
President and CEO
Korea Economic Institute of America

Introduced by:

Thomas Byrne
President
The Korea Society

Webinar to be Livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube

Trygve Lie, the United Nations’ first Secretary-General, described it in 1952 as “the most impossible job on earth.” By the time South Korean diplomat Ban Ki-moon was elected the UN’s 8th Secretary-General in 2006, the organization’s mission of advancing international peace and security had become even more difficult. In addition to traditional threats posed by inter-state disputes, transnational risks ranging from terrorism to environmental degradation demanded UN leadership.

Secretary-General Ban’s two terms in office also coincided with growing global recognition that the consequences of shared challenges would only intensify in the decades ahead. And that injustices such as gender inequality were intrinsically tied to broader issues such as climate change. His new book, “Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World,” is a candid assessment of the UN’s role in mobilizing a global response, including the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Please join KEI and the Korea Society as we host Secretary-General Ban for a wide-ranging discussion about his extraordinary life journey from the Korean War to becoming the top South Korean diplomat to the world’s top diplomat as UN head, the potential and limitations of the UN, and the daunting challenges facing us now.

“Resolved” will be released on June 15, the day of the event. You can pre-order the book from the Columbia University Press website with a special 30 percent discount code, which you will receive when you register for the event.

The event will be livestreamed via Zoom and on KEI’s YouTube channel. RSVP to receive the links to both.

Please send any questions for Secretary-General Ban to Yong Kwon at yk@keia.org by Monday, June 14, 2021.