New education goals, more youth voices and gender equality ambitions: 10 years of Ban Ki-moon as UN chief

Child marriage, Early childhood development, Girls' education, Right to education, Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations General Assembly

Ban Ki-moon's time as Secretary-General of the United Nations is coming to an end after 10 years - here we look at what was achieved for children's rights and education during his leadership.


Ban Ki-moon knows what it feels like to be a child torn from the family home and thrown into a world of chaos and fear.

He was six when the Korean War forced his parents to leave their village and take refuge in the mountains.

国产视频淚 was always crying, crying, crying, without knowing what was going on,国产视频澛爃e said in聽an interview with the Financial Times last year.听

国产视频淎ll the schools were destroyed. We were just sitting under the shadow of a tree, on the ground.国产视频

Refugees and displaced people have become a massive challenge during Ban国产视频檚 time in charge of the UN 国产视频 as have the issues of gender equality and education in emergencies.听

Here国产视频檚 a look at some of the key achievements in those areas during聽his 10 years as Secretary-General.

EDUCATION

The right of every child to get an education regardless of their circumstances聽has moved up the global agenda 国产视频 particularly during Ban Ki-moon国产视频檚聽second five-year term.

In 2012, he launched the聽Education First initiative聽in a bid聽to ensure every child goes to school and learns the聽values of global citizenship.

Ban said:聽国产视频淥ur shared goals are simple. We want children to attend primary school and to progress toward higher education that will help them to succeed in life.听We cannot stop until every child goes to school. This is our task, this is our homework.国产视频

Ban Ki-moon on education for all国产视频

Education promotes equality and lifts people out of poverty. It teaches children how to become good citizens. Education is not just for a privileged few, it is for everyone. It is a fundamental human right. During a visit to Timor-Leste in August 2012

The Secretary-General leaves his position with more than 260 million children and adolescents still out of school around the world.听

So when the Millennium Development Goals ended and were replaced by the聽Sustainable Development Goals聽in January this year, education was key聽to聽all the new global targets to be achieved by 2030.

SDG4 is: 国产视频淓nsure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.国产视频 Within that, there are 10 targets including:

  • All children to get quality, free and fair primary and secondary education
  • All children to get quality early years care and education so they are ready for primary school
  • Children will not miss out on education and vocational training because they are female, have a disability, are members of an indigenous people or are in an an emergency situation

That humanitarian aspect was reflected this year in the launch of the Education Cannot Wait fund.听One in four of the world国产视频檚 school-age children, nearly 500 million, live in countries affected by conflicts and disasters and about 75 million children and adolescents are either already missing out on their education, receiving poor quality schooling or at risk of dropping out of school altogether.

The fund聽aims to raise almost $4 billion to provide quality education to more than 13.6 million children and youth over the five years from its 2016 launch 国产视频 and to reach 75 million children by 2030.

罢丑别听Education Commission was set up by the UN聽in 2015聽to examine ways to reverse the lack of financing for education around the world. For a year, it explored how 国产视频 over the next 15 to 20 years 国产视频 education could lead to greater economic growth, better health outcomes and improved global security.

It produced an in-depth report titled The Learning Generation, which was delivered in聽September. Ban Ki-Moon said in advance the UN would act upon the recommendations, adding: 国产视频淚 look to the commission to provide a roadmap, based on innovative, sustainable and practical solutions, to overcome the barriers to lifelong education and learning for all.国产视频

Ban Ki-moon on literacy国产视频

Literacy stands at the heart of the 2030 Agenda. It is a foundation for human rights, gender equality, and sustainable societies. It is essential to all our efforts to end extreme poverty and promote well-being for all people. That is why the Sustainable Development Goals aim for universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people国产视频檚 lives. To mark International Literacy Day 2016 in September

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

The importance of nurturing care in children国产视频檚 very聽early years has become a major issue in recent years. Thanks to聽the Sustainable Development Goals and the Education Commission, its value in developing countries has been underlined.

In the Learning Generation report, the commission聽warned hundreds of millions of children around the world will be robbed of their future unless immediate action is taken. It said every country should provide every child聽with two years of free, quality pre-school education.

Talking about early learning聽being part of the Sustainable Development Goals,聽Ban Ki-moon said in 2015: 国产视频淚nvesting in early childhood development does not just benefit children, it benefits societies.听聽

国产视频淭he returns can be measured in healthier, better-educated children, a stronger workforce, and a more prosperous, peaceful future. 聽It is one of the most important and high-return investments we can make.国产视频

Ban聽Ki-moon on early childhood development国产视频

Use your influence to make early childhood development a public priority At a New York event on investing in young children in September 2015

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

Part of Ban Ki-moon国产视频檚 legacy will be that the voice of youth has increasingly been heard at the United Nations and on the world stage. He identified working with and for young people as a priority.

The results of this approach include the first ever Youth Take Takeover of the UN in 2013 国产视频 when聽Malala Yousafzai delivered her famous speech on education, a Youth Panel on the Education Commission and UN Young Leaders spreading the message of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ban has made a point of engaging with young people when he travels the world and through his use of social media and digital tools.

Ban Ki-moon on youth engagement国产视频

Since I became Secretary-General, five years ago, I have seen youth participate at the United Nations as never before. At Alliance of Civilisation Youth Forum in December 2011

GENDER EQUALITY

Ban Ki-moon has been a supporter and promoter of equal rights 国产视频 founding UN Women and speaking up consistently for gender equality and against child marriage and female genital mutilation.

In 2013, his annual Secretary-General国产视频檚聽report said several 国产视频渢ransformative actions国产视频 were needed if a new set of global goals were to be successful 国产视频 including the need to empower girls and women.

To achieve this, he said, 国产视频淭he practice of child marriage must be ended everywhere.国产视频 During his second term of office, the first International Day of the Girl Child was held in 2013, with a focus on ending child marriage.

Ban Ki-moon on education for girls国产视频

Let国产视频檚 shift the focus from mutilation to education... these empowered girls and women will help build a new future for all. At UN summit to mark 2016 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM in February


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