Equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO, the Secretary-General is a symbol of United Nations ideals and a spokesman for the interests of the world’s peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable among them. Mr. Ban took office in January 2007. In June 2011, he was unanimously re-elected by the General Assembly and will continue to serve as the leader of the United Nations until the end of 2016. Mr. Ban’s priorities have been to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy, and water. Today we talk with him about the civil war in Syria, climate change, and food security.
For more information about Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, please visit the United Nations web site at www.un.org/sg.
