UN
Foundation Welcomes the Republic of Korea’s
Ban Ki-moon
as the UN’s Next Secretary-General
Statement by Ted Turner, Chairman of the Board
of Directors
“The UN Foundation
Board warmly welcomes the election of H.E. Ban
Ki-moon, South Korea’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, as the next Secretary-General
of the United Nations.
We congratulate Minister Ban on his victory and
look forward to working with him in his new role,
and to support his agenda to make the UN more
agile and responsive to current days needs, including
building partnerships between civil society and
the UN in furtherance of the decisions outlined
in the United Nations Millennium Declaration and
the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document.
Minister Ban has had an impressive diplomatic
career in the service of his government, during
which he has demonstrated the leadership and managerial
skills necessary to head the world’s leading
international organization. During the campaign,
he spoke directly of the challenges facing the
UN, such as continued management reform and strengthened
peacebuilding capacity, and made convincing arguments
that he could manage the many tasks a Secretary-General
faces.
His predecessor, Kofi
Annan, leaves an impressive legacy and has laid
out steps to be taken to keep the UN vital in
the coming years. We are confident that Minister
Ban will continue to improve the United Nations
and assure that it continues to play its essential
role in international diplomacy. The UN foundation
remains firmly committed to being strong advocate
for the United Nations and its causes.”
About the United
Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998
with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s
historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes
and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements
public-private partnerships to address the world’s
most pressing problems, and also works to broaden
support for the UN through advocacy and public
outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity.
For a complete listing of UN Foundation grants
and programs or to learn more about the United
Nations Foundation, visit www.unfoundation.org.
Board of Directors
Ted Turner, Chairman (USA)
Founder, CNN, and Chairman, Turner Enterprises,
Inc.
Timothy E. Wirth, President (USA)
Former Senator and Undersecretary of State for
Global Affairs
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah (Jordan)
Chairperson, Jordan River Foundation
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway)
Former Prime Minister of Norway, and Director-General
Emeritus, WHO
Dr. Ruth Cardoso (Brazil)
President, Comunidade Solidaria
Liang Dan (China)
Director of Investment and Technology, Promotion
Branch, UNIDO
Graca Machel (Mozambique)
Chair, Foundation for Community Development, former
First Lady of Mozambique
