Profession: 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations
Biography: South Korean diplomat Ban Ki-moon was his countries Foreign Minister 2004-06 before he was elected the eight UN Secretary-General in 2006.
Throughout his tenure 2007-2016, Ban put particular focus on global warming and succeeding in getting the Paris Agreement on greenhouse emissions signed by 194 countries.
However the UN under Ban was severely criticized for the cholera outbreak in Haiti, as the source of the outbreak the UN refused to acknowledge the part it had played and only accepted responsibility in 2016.
Other significant issues for Ban as Secretary General included the civil war in Syria and peacekeeping efforts in Sudan.
Born: June 13, 1944
Birthplace: Injō, Japanese Korea (now Eumseong, South Korea)
Age: 79 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Monkey
Star Sign: Gemini
Historical Events
- 2014-11-03 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls for global action on climate change after warning from scientists
- 2017-01-01 Portuguese politician and diplomat António Guterres becomes United Nations Secretary General, replacing South Korean Ban Ki-Moon
Condoleezza Rice
Franz von Papen
George C. Marshall
António Guterres
Dag Hammarskjöld
U Thant