Activities of Secretary-General in California, United States, 5-7 April
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Los Angeles from New York on Tuesday afternoon, 5 April.
On Tuesday evening, he spoke at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. In his remarks, the Secretary-General saluted California as a powerhouse of social progress and change. He particularly noted the state’s leadership in combating climate change. “California’s emission limits, advances in clean energy and ground-breaking cap-and-trade programme are showing that what was said to be costly and impossible is actually the sensible and profitable wave of the future,” the Secretary-General told the audience. (See Press Release SG/SM/17651.)
The Secretary-General gave an overview of what the United Nations is doing to meet today’s global challenges, from humanitarian crises to climate change to sustainable development.
He told the audience of his recent visit to refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon, and all of the young Syrian refugees he met. “I am determined that the United Nations does everything in its power to help refugees everywhere to keep their dreams alive,” he said, reminding the members of the World Affairs Council of his own experience as a displaced boy in worn-torn Korea.
He stressed that, in his talks with world leaders, he has encouraged them to show greater solidarity not just through relief, but through resettlement and other legal pathways. “When managed properly, accepting refugees is a win for everyone,” he said. “Refugees are famously devoted to education and self-reliance and bring new skills and dynamism into ageing workforces.”
In closing, the Secretary-General reminded them that the United Nations “needs strong and engaged leadership from the United States for our organization to work well”.
Prior to an official dinner, the Secretary-General met with a group of high school students from a programme run by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. He told them that he had great hope for the next generation, but he also challenged them to “use the amazing technologies we have to reach across borders in the service of humanity, for the common good”. “Share your good ideas to create better understanding among people,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, the Secretary-General received an honorary doctorate from Loyola Marymount University. He told the students that he considers himself to be a child of the United Nations. During the Korean War, he said, when his family had no food, the United Nations fed them. When Korean schools were burned down, the United Nations gave books. When the economy collapsed, the United Nations mobilized support. Now, he added, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, he strives daily to do for others what the United Nations did for him. (See Press Release SG/SM/17656.)
The Secretary-General also had an opportunity meet and talk in a smaller setting to a group of students from the University’s Asian and Pacific Studies Programme.
Later that evening, the Secretary-General travelled by road to Santa Barbara to attend the “ECO:nomics” conference, which brings together a diverse group of global CEOs, top entrepreneurs, environmental experts and policymakers. The conference was organized by the senior editors of The Wall Street Journal. The Secretary-General was interviewed at the dinner by The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board member Kimberley Strassel. The Secretary-General discussed the current state of play relating to the Paris climate treaty and also stressed the need for the full participation of the private sector in the fight against climate change.
The Secretary-General left Los Angeles for Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday, 7 April.