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Climate change, demographics, water, food, energy, global health, women’s empowerment – these issues are all intertwined. We cannot look at one strand in isolation. Instead, we must examine how these strands are woven together.

Ban Ki-moon

We must turn the greatest collective challenge facing humankind today – climate change – into the greatest opportunity for common progress towards a sustainable future.
BAN KI-MOON

Challenges Opportunity Progress
Let us acknowledge and celebrate what youth can do to build a safer, more just world. Let us strengthen our efforts to include young people in policies, programmes and decision-making processes that benefit their futures and ours.
BAN KI-MOON

Decision Effort People
The current model is global suicide. We need a revolution. Revolutionary thinking. Revolutionary action. Natural resources are becoming more and more scarce.
BAN KI-MOON

Business Suicide Thinking
I strongly reject threats by any member state to destroy another or outrageous attempts to deny historical facts such as the Holocaust.
BAN KI-MOON

Country Destroy Historical Holocaust
Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family
BAN KI-MOON

Expression Fabric Safety
World military spending has now risen to over $1.2 trillion. This incredible sum represents 2.5 per cent of GDP (global gross domestic product). Even if 1 per cent of it were redirected towards development, the world would be much closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
BAN KI-MOON

Goal Military Represent World
One of the main lessons I have learned during my five years as Secretary-General is that broad partnerships are the key to solving broad challenges. When governments, the United Nations, businesses, philanthropies and civil society work hand-in-hand, we can achieve great things.
BAN KI-MOON

Government Hands Keys
The future of any leader or political systems is to be determined by the people of the country.
BAN KI-MOON

Country Leader People
Climate change has happened because of human behaviour, therefore it’s only natural it should be us, human beings, to address this issue. It may not be too late if we take decisive actions today.
BAN KI-MOON

Climate Issues Late
In a world of plenty, no one, not a single person, should go hungry. But almost 1 billion still do not have enough to eat. I want to see an end to hunger everywhere within my lifetime.
BAN KI-MOON

Hunger Want World
For my generation, coming of age at the height of the Cold War, fear of nuclear winter seemed the leading existential threat on the horizon. But the danger posed by war to all humanity-and to our planet-is at least matched by climate change.
BAN KI-MOON

Humanity War Winter
The power of the leader is given to him by the people, so he has a duty to engage and listen more attentively and carefully to the aspirations of the people.
BAN KI-MOON

Given Leader People
Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everyones responsibility.
BAN KI-MOON

Boys Girl Responsibility
Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.
BAN KI-MOON

Exercise Growth Justice
SUSTAINABLE PEACE IS POSSIBLE ONLY WITH WOMEN’S FULL PARTICIPATION, their perspectives, their leadership, their daily, equal presence wherever we seek to make and keep the peace.
BAN KI-MOON

Equal Participation Perspective
Since [violence against women] is rooted in discrimination, impunity and complacency, we need to change attitudes and behavior – and we need to change laws and make sure they are enforced just like you are doing in Cuba.
BAN KI-MOON

Attitude Cuba Law
One of my earliest memories is walking up a muddy road into the mountains. It was raining. Behind me, my village was burning. When there was school, it was under a tree. Then the United Nations came. They fed me, my family, my community.
BAN KI-MOON

Memories Rain School
People everywhere look to the United States to use its remarkable power to help lift humanity up and to work for the common good.
BAN KI-MOON

Humanity People Use
Nuclear disarmament is the only sane path to a safer world.
BAN KI-MOON

Disarmament Nuclear Path World
The clear and present danger of climate change means we cannot burn our way to prosperity. We already rely too heavily on fossil fuels. We need to find a new, sustainable path to the future we want. We need a clean industrial revolution.
BAN KI-MOON

Climate Mean Needs
We have seen in the past where leaders have not been open-minded or have not been flexible. That’s why the people came out to the streets and shouted and chanted for more reforms and more freedoms.
BAN KI-MOON

Leader Past People
Climate change…is, simply, the greatest collective challenge we face as a human family.
BAN KI-MOON

Challenges Climate Faces
I am not a national leader. If I am a national leader I can speak out all that I want.
BAN KI-MOON

Leader Speaks Out Want
I call on men and boys everywhere to join us. Violence against women and girls will not be eradicated until all of us – men and boys – refuse to tolerate it.
BAN KI-MOON

Boys Girl Powerful
Saving our planet requires you to be ambitious in what you aim, and, equally, in how hard you work to reach your goal.
BAN KI-MOON

Ambitious Goal Saving
On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts to build societies in which slavery truly is a term for the history books.
BAN KI-MOON

Book Children Men
Climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges and increasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course.
BAN KI-MOON

Challenges Climate Limited Resources

Climate change, demographics, water, food, energy, global health, women’s empowerment – these issues are all intertwined. We cannot look at one strand in isolation. Instead, we must examine how these strands are woven together.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Climate change, demographics, water, food, energy, global health, women’s empowerment – these issues are all intertwined. We cannot look at one strand in isolation. Instead, we must examine how these strands are woven together.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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