Deputy Chair of The EldersThe Elders
Ban Ki-moon served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2007 to 2016. He joined The Elders in 2017, and has been the group’s Deputy Chair since November 2018. Prior to the UN he served as South Korea’s Foreign Minister (2004-06) and as a diplomat in his country’s foreign service. Mr. Ban held office as UN Secretary-General from January 2007 to December 2016, having been unanimously re-elected by the General Assembly for a second mandate. During his tenure he placed the Sustainable Development Goals, tackling climate change, and equality for girls and women at the top of the UN agenda.
As a member of The Elders, Ban Ki-moon has held high-level talks with President Macron of France on climate and global security issues; discussed the future of multilateralism, climate action and sustainable development with President Xi of China; visited India to promote Universal Health Coverage and learn from the ‘Mohalla Clinics’ in Delhi; addressed the UN Security Council on conflict resolution; and called publicly for dialogue, restraint and responsible leadership to ease nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula.