A child of war, a man of peace

By Natalia Federighi de Cuello Director of Crave

There is one great Korean who has given so much to the world and who happens to be alive. His name is Ban Ki-moon. Born in poverty in a thatch-roofed hut (Eumsong county, 1944), he rose to become Foreign Minister and won the elections to serve for two terms as the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations (2007-2016).

Ban Ki-moon was barely six when he had to hide from the falling bombs of the Korean war, facing hunger, internal displacement, and the risk of illiteracy.

His life story exemplifies our school’s mission in action. Humble and determined, he championed the world’s vulnerable by putting Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Gender Equality at the top of the UN agenda.

As part of the Seoul Foreign School community, our duty is to get to know him better, to be proud about his legacy and to contribute to its implementation.

The cruel Korean war turned Ban Ki-moon’s world upside down. He had to escape and walk for days looking for a safer place in Jeungpyeong where his grandparents’ house was in a mountain at the edge of a forest not accessible to the fighter jets.

He still remembers well the feeling of strong fear caused by the armed conflict, and the difficult journey escaping by foot with his family. His mum was nine months pregnant, having to move slowly amidst the snow and the lack of food.

This early experience tempered his character, becoming since then the man of peace we came to know later in his many diplomatic responsibilities at the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations.

The United Nations flag gave him hope and meant to him and his family the safety, security and sustenance they needed amidst the ongoing conflict. For it was the United Nations which saved Korean lives, by providing education, food security and shelter until and after the fighting stopped.

Ban Ki-moon’s life of service 46 years as Korean diplomat and 10 years in the UN as SG were interrelated to all these experiences and his early years of war. As a result, Ban Ki-moon’s devotion to peace and encouragement to restore trust among us (east-west and north-south). Peace and security are among the interlinked pillars of the UN Charter. Without peace, neither development nor human rights are possible.

Ban Ki-moon’s mother went into labour when they were still on the roadside escaping from war. Fortunately, a family in the nearest house took them and helped his mum. But three days later she had to continue walking miles on a snowy road with her newborn baby in her arms.

Inspired by the strength and example of his mother, Ban Ki-moon has supported women along his entire career, fighting against inequality and injustice, creating UN Women, and appointing more than 150 women in important senior levels within the UN and in Korea.

He feels especially proud of the Global Education First initiative he led to use the transformative power of education to build a better future for all by putting every child in a school, improving the quality of learning, and fostering global citizenship.

In the construction of the global development framework for 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), a large set of stakeholders were involved for the first time, including civil society and the private sector.

The innovative ways of multistakeholder coordinated action that UNSG Ban Ki-moon facilitated (i.e. “Zero Hunger Challenge initiative”, “Education Above All” etc.) represented a level never seen before in the UN, with global sustainability initiatives and platforms bringing resources to truly scale up efforts.

Delays resulting from recent unforeseen disruptions, such as the unnecessary war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed SDG compliance by 2030. As things stand today, it might be 2050 in Asia, 2063 in Latin America and 2100 in Africa by the time the world is able to meet the SDGs.

However, Ban Ki-moon’s main concern is with Climate Change, for which he was able to achieve a consensus response in the form of a treaty, the Paris Agreement (2015).

“Meaningful Climate action is number one priority. Human extinction in a hundred years is a threat without a total change. And it will be the 6th time in the history where a massive extinction happens”, said Ban Ki moon to the spouses of the ambassadors appointed to the Republic of Korea last 15 March 2023.

Regarding the Paris Agreement, he is also disappointed for the lack of political will and how developed countries have not kept their commitments and promises on funding for climate adaptation for those countries most affected by increased temperatures, rising sea levels and the stronger acidity of oceans.

Without adaptation, island countries such as the Dominican Republic will be left without beaches. Even the island of Manhattan in New York may be totally flooded. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was an advanced warning of the dire times that may be ahead. So were the torrential rains flooding Gangnam in Seoul last August.

No country is safe from the ravages of climate change. Ban Ki-moon is now President of the Assembly of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), where countries work together to transform their economies with a view to becoming carbonneutral. “Carbon neutrality by 2050 is a must”, he said.

Without further action the consequences of the increase will be devastating, and we are already seeing with the weather patterns (serious droughts and fires, ice melting in Antarctica and North Pole, the raise of see level…). “We don’t have time to lose; nature is telling us that we are taking the wrong direction”, he said.

He encourages the young to be activist, to build bridges, to speak out against injustice, and to work harder to raise awareness and public opinion to the political leaders about the important problems in the global agenda, strengthening the sense of urgency on climate action since we are on the verge of irreversible changes that can completely undermine the future of the life on the planet as we see it today.

His mission continues today as the voice of the voiceless and the defender for the defenceless and hopes that the young who will serve as future global leaders, also have grand dreams and long-term visions. “It is important to live with a purpose and to foster cooperation, tolerance, empathy, and action. The challenges we are facing are unprecedented and solidarity and compassion are a must”, he said.

You can learn more about this wonderful leader at the Peace Museum built in 2018 surrounding the house where he was born, as restored by the Korean Government. I also recommend you read his recent book “Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World” that came out in July 2021. It is a wonderful way to learn about his legacy.

Ban Ki-moon is still very active and in touch with most important heads of state, CEOs and civil society leaders. You can engage with him through Ban Ki-moon’s Foundation for a Better Future (Seoul), his Centre for Global Citizens in Vienna and his Centre in New York. He is also Deputy Chair of The Elders, President of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Seoul and Chair Professor at Yonsei University (“Ban Ki-moon Centre for Sustainable Development”).

Natalia Federighi is member of the Board of Governors at SFS, President of ASAS (Ambassadors Spouses Association in Seoul), member of the Board of the Garden Club in Korea, volunteer at Open Arms Korea and Spouse of the Dominican Republic Ambassador. Her two children study at the SFS British School.