An Arctic Dialogue with Ban Ki-moon

An Arctic Dialogue with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon (HKA MPA ‘85), spoke with the HKS Arctic Innovator cohort, convened by Arctic Initiative’s Co-director Halla Logadóttir, at the Harvard Kennedy School Campus. Highlighting the critical importance of addressing climate change as an existential global threat, the Former Secretary General commended students for their work to bring attention to the dramatic shifts in the Arctic that are having global impacts. He also focused on challenges in the negotiation processes leading to the COP 21 process and how they were overcome.

Questions focused on the UN strategies to increase investments to build climate resilience. They also talked about the challenges and opportunities for global collaboration to tackle carbon emissions.

Mr. Ban concluded his remarks noting “Issues of the Arctic are not for any single country or a group of countries to solve alone. The global challenge requires global solution.”