Press Release: Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General to United Nations to be conferred with Doctor of Letters at a Special Convocation on the 27th of April at Jamia
(Publish Date:
26/04/2012)
April 26, 2012
Press Release: Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General to United Nations to be conferred with ‘Doctor of Letters’ at a ‘Special Convocation’ on the 27th of April at Jamia
Jamia Millia Islamia will hold a ‘Special Convocation’ on April 27, 2012 at 11 AM in Dr. M.A. Ansari Auditorium, Jamia Millia Islamia to confer the degree of ‘Doctor of Letters’ (Honoris Causa) on Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General to United Nations.
In 2011, Mr. Ban Ki-moon ran unopposed for a second term as Secretary-General and was unanimously re-elected to the post of Secretary General by the General Assembly. He will continue to serve in his current position until 31 December 2016.
The newly appointed Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Lieutenant General M.A. Zaki (Retired) will preside over the function and confer the degree on Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General to United Nations. Mr. Najeeb Jung, Vice Chancellor, will present him with a citation.
Members of the Press are cordially invited to this special convocation. Press Invites have already been sent to all media personnel. They are requested to bring their Press Invites along for security reasons.
In case they are unable to carry their Invitation Card, they are requested to bring their Accreditation Cards/Press I-Cards with them and produce them, if necessary.
Media personnel are requested to be seated latest by 10.30 AM in the Auditorium as the entry will be closed thereafter, due to security reasons.
In case of any query, please contact me on 9818038281.
(Media Coordinator)
Jamia Millia Islamia
Attachment: Citation
JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA
NEW DELHI
(A Central University Established by an Act of Parliament of India)
SPECIAL CONVOCATION
to Confer the Degree
of
Doctor of Letters
(Honoris Causa)
on
Ban Ki-moon
Friday 27 April 2012
CITATION
Special Convocation to Confer the Degree
of
Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa)
on
Ban Ki-moon
CITATION
The Eighth and the present Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, was born on 13 June 1944 in Korea which was then emerging from under the Japanese rule. Early on in his life he saw strife and war at close quarters. At the same time, he also met state leaders such as the US President John F Kennedy. These early experiences in his childhood must have had a formative influence on him and would have laid the foundation for a life which was to be less ordinary.
After completing his BA in International Relations from Seoul National University in 1970, Mr. Ban Ki-moon went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration from the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985.
Immediately after graduating, Mr. Ban Ki-moon joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and steadily climbed the ladder of success with his perseverance and prudence. His first posting was to India and today it is indeed our honour and pleasure to welcome him back.
His first posting to the United Nations was in the year 1974 and in 1980 he became the Director of the United Nations’ International Organizations and Treaties Bureau in Seoul.
The other significant signposts in his career are his appointment as the National Security Advisor to the President in 1996; as Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia; as Chief of Staff to the General Assembly President of the United Nations in 2001; and as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President in 2003.
In 2004 Mr. Ban Ki-moon became the Foreign Minister of South Korea and went on to foster Inter-Korean relations, a major accomplishment of his tenure.
On 1 January 2007, Mr Ban Ki-moon took over charge as the Secretary General of the United Nations. During his first term in office he took up challenging tasks such as major reforms in peacekeeping and UN employment practices; bringing Global Warming into sharp focus; handling crises in the Middle East with tact; peacekeeping in Darfur, Sudan, among other equally vital tasks.
While in office, he presided over the all important build-up of the United Nations’ capacity for responding to humanitarian crises. He has also worked assiduously at promoting the rights of the most vulnerable and the underprivileged. He has also executed the United Nations’ Membership’s mandate to create UN WOMEN, the first major United Nations specialized agency created in decades.
On 21 June 2011, Mr Ban Ki-moon was unanimously re-elected to his second term in office as Secretary General of the United Nations, which he will hold till 31 December 2016.
In his current tenure, he has identified five priorities that reinforce his determination to bequeath a better world to future generations. These priorities include: sustainable development, preventing conflicts and disasters, preventing human rights abuses and development setbacks, building a safer and more secure world, which includes standing strong on fundamental principles of democracy and human rights, supporting nations in transition, and working for women and youth.
Mr Ban Ki-moon has received several honours and awards in his career. Some of these are: Order of Service Merit by the Government of Republic of Korea in 1975, 1986, 2006; Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria in 2001; Grand Cross of Rio Branco by the Government of Brazil; Gran Cruz del Sol by the Government of Peru; James A Van Fleet Award by the Korea Society in New York, besides many others.
It needs to be underscored that the office of the Secretary General of the United Nations embodies, more than any other position in the world, the hopes and aspirations of billions of people across the world, who repose their trust in the moral and symbolic authority of this institution.
Since his appointment as the Secretary General of the United Nations, first in 2007, and again in 2011, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has upheld the prestige and importance of the office he holds. He has his characteristic style, which combines perseverance and determination with extreme humility.
His presence at the helm of affairs at the United Nations has also stressed the importance of Asia and its role in international relations and governance today.
In honouring him, Jamia Millia Islamia celebrates one of the most acclaimed figures of our times, who – in his person and action – combines the strong foundations of morality and ethics with equally important principles of human rights and dignity.
In recognition of his immense contribution to development and world peace,Jamia Millia Islamia confers upon him the degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on this 27th day of April, 2012.
