Soon to be ten years at the forefront of the United Nations, it is Ban’s work, in particular at this present time, which has convinced the jury that the Media Award’s criterion has been fulfilled in a very special way.
"Set amidst a world of hostile political conflicts and its humanitarian crisis, Ban Ki-moon tirelessly works for the solidarity and cohesion of the international community.” Faced with a global refugee crisis that is also a significant challenge for Germany, explained the jury in its reasoning, Ban’s commitment to the cooperation of the 193 member states of the United Nations is more important than ever. Also the breakthrough in the world climate summit in Paris last December and the adoption of sustainable development goals, according to which poverty and hunger are intended to be defeated by the year 2030, are successes of his work. He is the “insistent admonisher in public, and the quiet diplomat behind the scenes."
The South Korean has established his own leadership style, according to the jury, which has been characterized by personal humility, deeply felt humanity and steadfast adherence to the founding vision of the United Nations to stand up for a world of freedom from fear and want.
Ban’s “Human Rights up Front” initiative has refocused the United Nations work and stressed the need that many challenges of our time can only be successfully resolved through a culture of prevention and early warning.
The 71 year-old, who was also a “Child of War”, which he experienced in his native country Korea, confirmed his support for tackling the causes of immigration consequently worldwide.
The Secretary-General, who supported military protective measures in Libya, Ivory Coast and Congo, is convinced that peace can be ensured only through sustained diplomatic balancing and political will.
Even in the face of ongoing massacres, suffering and terror - especially in Syria - Ban stands for the insight that the only humane response to hatred, extremism and political and religious conflicts must be international cooperation and solidarity.
This makes his job the frequently cited “most impossible job in the world”, but nevertheless one that is essential for the hope of a brighter future. Something, although shaped by war and suffering, the founding generation of the United Nations wanted 70 years ago.
Media Control has honoured outstanding personalities with Deutscher Medienpreis since 1992. Among others, award recipients in the past years were Dr. Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Yassir Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, Boris Yeltsin, King Hussein of Jordan, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Gerhard Schröder, Rudolph W. Guiliani, Queen Rania of Jordan and Silvia of Sweden, Kofi Annan, Hillary Clinton, Bono, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Sir Richard Branson, George Clooney, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands and German national football coach Joachim Löw.
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