Ban Ki-moon

Your Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, Dr. Patrick Ho, Secretary-General of the China Energy Fund Committee, Mr. Wu Hongbo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
I am pleased to join you this evening.
 
I commend the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on this very successful UN Energy Grant programme, and I thank the China Energy Fund Committee for its generous support.
 

Thank you for this tribute.

I am deeply honoured for the recognition which you have given me.

It has been a privilege to work with all Security Council members over the past ten years.

The Council’s role in maintaining international peace and security is as daunting and necessary as it was 70 years ago when the UN was founded. 

Over the course of the past decade, I have witnessed first-hand the Council’s capacity for innovative thinking. 

During my tenure, the Council established more than a dozen peacekeeping operations and special political missions.

I thank the Government and people of Uganda for their compassion, generosity and hospitality in hosting refugees fleeing conflicts in neighbouring countries.
Uganda’s refugee policy is an inspiration for the region and the wider world.  Rather than being hosted in camps, refugees are settled in villages and have access to land.  This policy recognizes the rights of refugees to work, establish businesses, move freely within their host country and access the same services as Ugandans.

Let me begin by thanking the artist, Professor Lee Won-Hee.
 
I have long admired his work and distinguished career.  But I never imagined that one day I would become one of his subjects.
 
Professor. Lee, thank you for the beautiful image you have given the United Nations.
 
You have depicted me in my office, the place from which I have sought to serve the world’s people for the past decade.
 
You have posed me with my hand resting on our one and only planet – starting with my home continent of Asia. 
 

The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund approved almost $3 million in funding for national reconciliation efforts in Libya, aimed at creating an enabling environment for the political process to end the various conflicts in the North African country, UN Peacebuilding announced Tuesday.
The international community and Libyan experts have consistently stressed that the political process can only succeed if an effort is made to create a supportive environment for peace among the population, closely connected with the high-level political initiative.

The Secretary-General has learned with dismay the takeover yesterday morning of The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) premises by the military. He condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people and defiance towards the international community at a time when a high-level Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation was in the country to broker a peaceful transfer of power.

On 12 December, the Secretary-General met with H.E. Sam Kutesa, Foreign Minister of Uganda. They exchanged views on the main peace, security and humanitarian challenges facing the region, including recent developments in South Sudan, Somalia, Central African Republic and Burundi.