Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on LinkedIn: Top Ten Picks
When United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaves office on 31 December, he will take his LinkedIn Influencer profile with him.
The UN Social Media Team has helped the Secretary-General manage his LinkedIn account since he became an Influencer in 2013.
Three years and sixty-two posts later, here are ten highlights.
- On why taking climate action is good for business.
“Too often, one important fact gets lost amid the fear: addressing climate change is also one of our greatest opportunities”.
2. On why disability is not inability.
“Let’s focus on what many employers already know –that hiring persons with disabilities is not charity, just good sense. Let’s stress that they have equal rights and are valuable resources that are good for the bottom line”.
3. On the passing of Nelson Mandela.
“Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world and within each one of us — if we believe, dream and work together”.
4. On why we should invest in girls.
“These difficult financial times demand smart financial investments. And one of the soundest investments we can make is in girls — in educating them, empowering them and keeping them healthy”.
5. On achieving LGBT equality.
“Changing people’s attitudes takes time, effort and perseverance. It takes us all to speak up and speak out against homophobia, even when it’s presented as harmless fun or as an accepted cultural trait. It’s not. It’s discrimination. And it’s our responsibility to fight it and to strive for a world that is truly free and equal”.
6. On ending violence against women.
“To end violence, we must shatter the negative gender stereotypes and attitudes that feed and perpetuate it. It will take speaking out against the sexist jokes and comments often dismissed as “harmless” and standing up to abusive behaviour whenever and wherever we see it”.
7. On the Sustainable Development Goals.
“The Goals are for everyone. They will leave no one behind. They are for millennials, grandparents, city dwellers, rural communities, people in both developing and developed countries, employers and employees.
These are the people’s Goals — your Goals”.
8. On choosing a career at the United Nations.
“For many, the UN is a life-saving presence. For others, the connection to their daily lives may not be immediately obvious. Yet the UN has been successful in ways that benefit everyone, everywhere.
Choosing the path of public service is not an easy decision. But it is important to remember that history does not measure a person by his or her bank account; what counts is how much one gives back to the world — and how courageously one fights for what is right and for those in need.”
9. On the “Mission for Humanity”.
“At Nahr El-Bared camp in Lebanon, I spoke with one woman who is waiting to return home. She broke down in tears. No words of sympathy could console her because words are not enough. What is needed is action”.
10. On the benefits of accepting refugees and migrants.
“Refugees are famously devoted to education and self-reliance. These are brave, resilient and forward-looking people who bring needed skills and energy to their new societies.
As a child, the United Nations was a lifeline for me and my family; a beacon of hope. Today, I will spare no effort to ensure that the United Nations does everything in its power to help refugees and migrants everywhere”.
