Look up sec or SEC in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

SEC, Sec, or Seč may refer to:

Sports[link]

• Southeastern Conference (SEC), one of the major U.S. collegiate sports conferences

Government[link]

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Securities and Exchange Commission (Philippines)
• State Examinations Commission, Ireland
• State Electricity Commission of Victoria (Australia)
• State Energy Commission of Western Australia
• Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan
• Securities and Exchange Commission (Nigeria)
• Subject Experiment Corporation (Russia)

Education[link]

• St Edmunds College, Ipswich

Companies[link]

• Samsung Electronics Corporation
• Solar Entertainment Corporation
• Securities Exchange Company, a company run by Charles Ponzi
• AuroraSEC -Solar Energy Company

Mathematics[link]

Secant is a term in mathematics derived from the Latin secare ("to cut"). It may refer to:

• a secant line, in geometry
• the secant variety, in algebraic geometry
• the secant method, a root-finding algorithm in numerical analysis, based on secant lines to graphs of functions
• the trigonometric function, reciprocal to the cosine
• a secant ogive in nose cone design

Science[link]

• Social evolutionary computation
• Space Weather Prediction Center, also known as the Space Enviornment Center
• single error correction, in error detection and correction
• Size-exclusion chromatography
• Sec pathway, in biology, a major route of protein translocation across cell membranes
• Solar Energy Conversion, the conversion of solar energy to electricity
• Standard three-letter abbreviation for selenocysteine
• Sinusoidal endothelial cell

Religion[link]

• Scottish Episcopal Church

Popular culture[link]

• Dalek Sec, from the television series Doctor Who.

Other[link]

• An abbreviation for second
• Sec (wine), a French term used to indicate the sweetness level of a wine.
• In music, sec, an abbreviation of secco.

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Trent Richardson

Richardson rushing towards the end zone in the 2011 season opener vs. Kent State.
No. 33     Cleveland Browns
Running Back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1991-07-10) July 10, 1991 (age 20)
Place of birth: Pensacola, Florida
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight: 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: Pensacola (FL) Escambia
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
Cleveland Browns (2012–present)
Roster status: Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards
BCS National Championship (2010, 2012) Unanimous All-American (2011) Doak Walker Award (2011) SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2011) First-team All-SEC (2010, 2011) SEC Championship (2009) SEC All-Freshman Team (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
Rushing Yards 0 Rushing Average 0.0 Rushing TDs 0 Stats at NFL.com

Trent Richardson (born July 10, 1991) is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. The Cleveland Browns traded up one spot to select him with the third overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.^[1] He has been dubbed perhaps the best running back out of the college ranks since Adrian Peterson.^[2][3]

Early years[link]

Richardson was born in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, where he finished his senior season with 2,090 yards on 228 carries scoring 25 touchdowns. In a game against Milton High School in September 2008, Richardson rushed for 419 yards on 29 carries and scored six touchdowns, a performance that earned him a selection as the first ESPN RISE National Football Player of the Week.^[4]

As a junior, Richardson also reached the 400-yard plateau, as he ran for 407 yards in his opening game against Tate High School. He finished his junior season (8 games) with 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns, and received FSWA All-State 5A second team honors. He sat out his sophomore year due to an injury.

He made the FSWA 5A All-State First Team as a senior, and was named 5A Florida Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2008 Mr. Football. Richardson also received consensus All-American honors and was named to the Orlando Sentinel′s All Southern Team (Florida).

Richardson is frequently compared to Emmitt Smith, who also starred at Escambia (1987 graduate), but his physique and running style are more similar to Earl Campbell.^[5] Richardson also drew comparisons to Michael Turner and O.J. Simpson.^[6] Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Richardson was listed as the No. 2 running back prospect in the nation (behind only Bryce Brown).^[7] He chose Alabama over Florida, Florida State, and LSU, among others.

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Trent Richardson RB	Pensacola, Florida	Escambia HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.5	Jun 2, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2 (RB)   Rivals: 2 (RB)  ESPN: 1 (RB)
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Alabama Football Commitments". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/alabama-73. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "2009 Alabama Football Commits". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=9&c=8&yr=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "ESPN". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/333/class/2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=9&c=14&yr=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.

College career[link]

2009[link]

In his first year at Alabama, Richardson stepped in quickly for the departed Glen Coffee, and shared time at the tailback position with Roy Upchurch and Mark Ingram, Jr.^[8] When recruited, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called Richardson, "the real key to the class," and "an outstanding player at a position that a young player can contribute next year."^[9]

Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for Week 2 ^[10] and Week 4.^[11] Richardson was also named to the 2009 SEC All-Freshman team alongside Barrett Jones and Nico Johnson.^[12] He also contributed significantly in the 2010 BCS National Championship with 109 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.^[13] For the season he had 145 carries for 751 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns.^[14] He also had 126 yards receiving on the season.^[14]

2010[link]

Richardson started the first two games of the season with Mark Ingram sitting out due to an injury. In the season opener, he had 10 carries for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 3 receptions for 46 yards. The following week against Penn State, he ran for a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. He also had 4 catches for 46 yards. Trent was named Co-SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.^[15]

For the season he had 112 carries for 700 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns and 266 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns.^[16] Richardson also has 634 kick return yards with a touchdown.^[16]

2011[link]

With the departure of Mark Ingram to the NFL, Richardson took over the starting role at running back. During the season Trent ran for over 100 yards in nine games. He tied Shaun Alexander with six consecutive 100 yard rushing games. He scored two or more touchdowns in seven games. He set a career high against Ole Miss running for 183 yards and four touchdowns. In the Iron Bowl, Trent ran for a new career high of 203 yards. He won the Doak Walker Award becoming the first player from Alabama to win.^[17] He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind eventual winner Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck.^[18] In the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, Richardson rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown to secure his second national championship with the Crimson Tide.^[19]

For the season Trent had 1,679 rushing yards, breaking Mark Ingram's record for most rushing yards in a season, and 21 touchdowns.^[20] He also had 338 receiving yards with three touchdowns.^[20] On January 12, 2012, Richardson declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, thus forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility.^[21] At the time of his announcement, he was projected as a first round pick and the top running back prospect in the draft.^[21]

College career statistics[link]

Professional career[link]

2012 NFL Draft[link]

Entering his junior season, Richardson was consensually regarded as the best running back available in the 2012 NFL Draft, projected to go as high as the No. 4 pick.^[22][23][24] His strong performance on the field, replacing Mark Ingram, solidified his status. In October 2011, Sports Illustrated′s Tony Pauline ranked him as the No. 3 prospect on his midseason draft board, noting his "outstanding combination of quickness, power and speed."^[25] After undergoing a minor knee surgery in February 2012, Richardson did not participate in drills at the 2012 NFL Combine.^[26] He later also decided to skip workouts at the Alabama Pro Day on March 7.^[27] Richardson held his own Pro Day on March 27.^[28]

In March 2012, Richardson was widely projected to be a top-6 draft choice,^[30][31][32] with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Rams rumored to be most interested in selecting him.^[33][34] Former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian called one of the "three sure-thing players" in the 2012 draft.^[35]

Richardson was eventually selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns, after they had traded picks with the Minnesota Vikings to prevent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from doing the same transaction. Richardson is the highest selected running back since Reggie Bush in 2006.

Personal[link]

Richardson has two daughters who are three and five years old.^[36]

On April 13, 2012, he took leukemia survivor Courtney Alvis to her senior prom at Hueytown High School.^[37]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Cleveland Browns bio
• Alabama Crimson Tide bio
• Highlights of Trent Richardson by Takkle on YouTube

Ban Ki-moon 반기문 潘基文
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2007
Deputy	Asha-Rose Migiro Jan Eliasson (designate)
Preceded by	Kofi Annan
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
In office January 17, 2004 – November 10, 2007
President	Roh Moo-hyun
Prime Minister	Goh Kun Lee Hae Chan Han Duck-soo Han Myeong-sook
Preceded by	Yoon Young Kwan
Succeeded by	Song Min-soon
Personal details
Born	(1944-06-13) 13 June 1944 (age 68)[1] Injō, Chūsei-hokudō, Korea, Empire of Japan (present-day Eumseong County, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea)
Nationality	South Korean
Spouse(s)	Yoo Soon-taek
Alma mater	Seoul National University (B.A.) Harvard University (M.P.A.)
Religion	No public affiliation[2][3]
Signature

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Ban Ki-moon (Hangul: 반기문; Hanja: 潘基文; born 13 June 1944) is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he graduated from university, accepting his first post in New Delhi, India. In the foreign ministry he established a reputation for modesty and competence .

Ban was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea from January 2004 to November 2006. In February 2006, he began to campaign for the office of Secretary-General. Ban was initially considered to be a long shot for the office. As foreign minister of South Korea, however, he was able to travel to all of the countries that were members of the United Nations Security Council, a maneuver that turned him into the front runner.

On 11 October 2006, he was elected to be the eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly and officially succeeded Annan on 1 January 2007. Ban has led several major reforms regarding peacekeeping and UN employment practices. Diplomatically, Ban has taken particularly strong views on Darfur, where he helped persuade Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to allow peacekeeping troops to enter Sudan; and on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly with former U.S. President George W. Bush. Ban has received strong criticism from OIOS, the UN internal audit unit, stating that the secretariat, under Ban's leadership, is "drifting into irrelevance".^[4]

In 2011, Ban ran unopposed for a second term as Secretary-General. On 21 June 2011, he was unanimously re-elected by the General Assembly and therefore will continue to serve until 31 December 2016.^[5][6]

Biography[link]

Ban was born in Eumseong in a small farming village in North Chungcheong, in 1944 at the end of the Japanese rule of Korea. His family moved to the nearby town of Chungju, where he was raised.^[7] During Ban's childhood, his father had a warehouse business, but the warehouse went bankrupt and the family lost its middle-class standard of living. When Ban was six, his family fled to a remote mountainside for the duration of the Korean War.^[1] After the war ended, his family returned to Chungju. Ban has mentioned meeting U.S. military troops at this time.^[8]

In secondary school (Chungju High School), Ban became a star pupil, particularly in his studies of English. In 1952, he was selected by his class to address a message to then UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, but it is unknown if the message was ever sent. In 1962, Ban won an essay contest sponsored by the Red Cross and earned a trip to the United States where he lived in San Francisco with a host family for several months.^[9] As part of the trip, Ban met U.S. President John F. Kennedy.^[1] When a journalist at the meeting asked Ban what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said, "I want to become a diplomat."^[8]

He received a [[bachelor's degree] in International Relations from Seoul National University in 1970, and earned a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985.^[8] At Harvard, he studied under Joseph Nye who remarked that Ban had "a rare combination of analytic clarity, humility and perseverance."^[9] Ban was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by the University of Malta on 22 April 2009.^[10] He further received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Washington in October 2009.^[11]

In addition to his native Korean, Ban speaks English, French, and Japanese. There have been questions, however, regarding the extent of his knowledge of French, one of the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.^[12]

Family[link]

Ban Ki-moon met Yoo Soon-taek in 1962 when they were both high school students. Ban was 18 years old, and Yoo Soon-taek was his secondary school's student council president. Ban Ki-moon married Yoo Soon-taek in 1971. They have three adult children: two daughters and a son. His elder daughter, Seon-yong, was born in 1972 and now works for the Korea Foundation in Seoul. She is married to an Indian.^[13][14] His son, Woo-hyun was born in 1974 in India.^[13] He received an MBA from Anderson School of Management at University of California, Los Angeles, and works for an investment firm in New York.^[15] His younger daughter, Hyun-hee (born 1976), is a field officer for UNICEF in Nairobi.^[1] After his election as Secretary-General, Ban became an icon in his hometown, where his extended family still resides. Over 50,000 gathered in a soccer stadium in Chungju for celebration of the result. In the months following his election, thousands of practitioners of geomancy went to his village to determine how it produced such an important person.^[7] Ban himself is not a member of any church or religious group^[2] and has declined to expound his beliefs: "Now, as Secretary-General, it will not be appropriate at this time to talk about my own belief in any particular religion or God. So maybe we will have some other time to talk about personal matters."^[3] His mother is a Buddhist.^[7]

Personality[link]

In the Korean Foreign Ministry his nickname was riya, meaning "the Bureaucrat" or "the administrative clerk." The name was used as both positive and negative: complimenting Ban's attention to detail and administrative skill while deriding what was seen as a lack of charisma and subservience to his superiors.^[16] The Korean press corps calls him "the slippery eel" for his ability to dodge questions.^[8] His peers praise his understated "Confucian approach."^[17] and he is regarded by many as a "stand-up guy"^[9] and is known for his "easy smile".^[1]

Diplomatic career[link]

Ban Ki-moon with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

After graduating from university, Ban received the top score on Korea's foreign service exam. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 1970, and worked his way up the career ladder during the years of the Yusin Constitution.^[9]

His first overseas posting was to New Delhi, where he served as vice consul and impressed many of his superiors in the foreign ministry with his competence. Ban reportedly accepted a posting to India rather than the more prestigious United States, because in India he would be able to save more money, and send more money home to his family.^[18][19] In 1974 he received his first posting to the United Nations, as First Secretary of the South Permanent Observer Mission (South Korea became a full UN member-state on 17 September 1991).^[20] After Park Chung-hee's 1979 assassination, Ban assumed the post of Director of the United Nations Division.

In 1980 Ban became director of the United Nations' International Organizations and Treaties Bureau, headquartered in Seoul.^[19] He has been posted twice to the Republic of Korea embassy in Washington, D.C. Between these two assignments he served as Director-General for American Affairs in 1990–1992. In 1992, he became Vice Chairman of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission, following the adoption by South and North Korea of the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.^[18] From 1993–1994 Ban was Korea's deputy ambassador to the United States. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations in 1995 and then appointed National Security Advisor to the President in 1996.^[19] Ban's lengthy career overseas has been credited with helping him avoid South Korea's unforgiving political environment.^[17]

Ban was appointed Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia in 1998, and a year later he was also elected as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom). During the negotiations, in what Ban considers the biggest blunder of his career, he included in a public letter a positive statement about the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001, not long after the United States had decided to abandon the treaty. To avoid anger from the United States, Ban was fired by President Kim Dae-jung, who also issued a public apology for Ban's statement.^[1]

Ban was unemployed for the only time in his career and was expecting to receive an assignment to work in a remote and unimportant embassy.^[1] In 2001, during the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Republic of Korea held the rotating presidency, and to Ban's surprise, he was selected to be the chief of staff to general assembly president Han Seung-soo.^[21] In 2003, incoming president Roh Moo-hyun selected Ban as one of his foreign policy advisors.^[19]

Foreign Minister of South Korea[link]

In 2004, Ban replaced Yoon Young Kwan as foreign minister of South Korea under president Roh Moo-hyun.^[8] At the beginning of his term, Ban was faced with two major crises: in June 2004 Kim Sun-il, a Korean translator, was kidnapped and killed in Iraq by Islamic extremists; and in December 2004 dozens of Koreans died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Ban survived scrutiny from lawmakers and saw an upturn in his popularity when talks began with North Korea.^[19] Ban became actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relationships.^[18] In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he played a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to adopt the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue at the Fourth Round of the Six-party talks held in Beijing.^[22][23]

As foreign minister, Ban oversaw the trade and aid policies of South Korea. This work put Ban in the position of signing trade deals and delivering foreign assistance to diplomats who would later be influential in his candidacy for Secretary-General. For example, Ban became the first senior South Korean minister to travel to the Republic of the Congo since its independence in 1960.^[24]

Campaign for Secretary-General: 2007[link]

2007 Secretary-General candidates[25]
	Name	Position
	Ban Ki-moon	South Korean foreign minister
	Shashi Tharoor	Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for public information; from India
	Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga	President of Latvia
	Ashraf Ghani	Chancellor of Kabul University, Afghanistan
	Surakiart Sathirathai	Deputy prime minister of Thailand
	Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad	Jordan's ambassador to the United Nations
	Jayantha Dhanapala	Former Under-Secretary-General for disarmament; from Sri Lanka

In February 2006, Ban declared his candidacy to replace Kofi Annan as UN Secretary-General at the end of 2006, becoming the first South Korean to run for the office.^[26] Though Ban was the first to announce a candidacy, he was not originally considered a serious contender.^[9]

Over the next eight months, Ban made ministerial visits to each of the 15 countries with a seat on the Security Council.^[8] Of the seven candidates, he topped each of the four straw polls conducted by the United Nations Security Council: on 24 July,^[27] 14 September,^[28] 28 September,^[29] and 2 October.^[30]

During the period in which these polls took place, Ban made major speeches to the Asia Society and the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.^[31][32] To be confirmed, Ban needed not only to win the support of the diplomatic community, but also to be able to avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members of the council: People's Republic of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ban was popular in Washington for having pushed to send South Korean troops to Iraq, and had the support of the Bush administration as he pursued the position.^[33] But Ban also opposed several U.S. positions: he expressed his support for the International Criminal Court and favoured an entirely non-confrontational approach to dealing with North Korea.^[8] Ban said during his campaign that he would like to visit North Korea in person to meet with Kim Jong-il directly.^[23] Ban was viewed as a stark contrast from Kofi Annan, who was considered charismatic, but perceived as a weak manager because of problems surrounding the UN's oil-for-food program in Iraq.^[16]

Ban struggled to win the approval of France. His official biography states that he speaks both English and French, the two working languages of the UN Secretariat. He has repeatedly struggled to answer questions in French from journalists.^[12] Ban has repeatedly acknowledged his limitations at French, but assured French diplomats that he was devoted to continuing his study. At a press conference on 11 January 2007, Ban remarked, "My French perhaps could be improved, and I am continuing to work. I have taken French lessons over the last few months. I think that, even if my French isn't perfect, I will continue to study it."^[34]

As the Secretary-General election drew closer, there was rising criticism of the South Korean campaign on Ban's behalf. Specifically, his alleged practice of systematically visiting all member states of the Security Council in his role as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade to secure votes in his support by signing trade deals with European countries and pledging aid to developing countries were the focus of many news articles.^[35] According to The Washington Post, "rivals have privately grumbled that Republic of Korea, which has the world's 11th-largest economy, has wielded its economic might to generate support for his candidacy." Ban reportedly said that these insinuations were "groundless." In an interview on 17 September 2006 he stated: "As front-runner, I know that I can become a target of this very scrutinizing process," and "I am a man of integrity."^[36]

In the final informal poll on 2 October, Ban received fourteen favorable votes and one abstention ("no opinion") from the fifteen members of the Security Council. The one abstention came from the Japanese delegation, who vehemently opposed the idea of a Korean taking the role of Secretary-General. Due to the overwhelming support of Ban by the rest of the Security Council, Japan later voted in favor of Ban to avoid controversy. More importantly, Ban was the only one to escape a veto; each of the other candidates received at least one "no" vote from among the five permanent members. After the vote, Shashi Tharoor, who finished second, withdrew his candidacy^[37] and China's Permanent Representative to the UN told reporters that "it is quite clear from today's straw poll that Minister Ban Ki-moon is the candidate that the Security Council will recommend to the General Assembly."^[38]

Wikinews has related news: General Assembly elects Ban Ki-moon as next UN chief

On 9 October, the Security Council formally chose Ban as its nominee. In the public vote, he was supported by all 15 members of the council.^[39] On 13 October, the 192-member General Assembly acclaimed Ban as Secretary-General.^[21]

First Term as Secretary-General[link]

Ban Ki-moon with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 9 April 2008.

When Ban became Secretary-General, The Economist listed the major challenges facing him in 2007: "rising nuclear demons in Iran and North Korea, a haemorrhaging wound in Darfur, unending violence in the Middle East, looming environmental disaster, escalating international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the spread of HIV/AIDS. And then the more parochial concerns, such as the largely unfinished business of the most sweeping attempt at reform in the UN's history."^[40] Before starting, Kofi Annan shared the story that when the first Secretary-General Trygve Lie left office, he told his successor, Dag Hammarskjöld, "You are about to take over the most impossible job on earth."^[21]

On 23 January 2007 Ban took office as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Ban's term as Secretary-General opened with a flap. At his first encounter with the press as Secretary-General on 2 January 2007, he refused to condemn the death penalty imposed on Saddam Hussein by the Iraqi High Tribunal, remarking that "The issue of capital punishment is for each and every member State to decide".^[41] Ban's statements contradicted long-standing United Nations opposition to the death penalty as a human-rights concern.^[42] He quickly clarified his stance in the case of Barzan al-Tikriti and Awad al-Bandar, two top officials who were convicted of the deaths of 148 Shia Muslims in the Iraqi village of Dujail in the 1980s. In a statement through his spokesperson on 6 January, he "strongly urged the Government of Iraq to grant a stay of execution to those whose death sentences may be carried out in the near future."^[43][44] On the broader issue, he told a Washington, D.C., audience on 16 January 2007 that he recognized and encouraged the "growing trend in international society, international law and domestic policies and practices to phase out eventually the death penalty."^[45]

On the tenth anniversary of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's death, 15 April 2008, Ban Ki-moon appealed for the senior leaders of the regime to be brought to justice. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia-tribunal, which was established by both the United Nations and Cambodia and which became operational in 2006, is expected to continue until at least 2010.^[46]

Cabinet[link]

In early January, Ban appointed the key members of his cabinet. As his Deputy Secretary-General, he selected Tanzanian foreign minister and professor Asha-Rose Migiro – a move that pleased African diplomats who had concerns of losing power without Annan in office.^[47]

The top position devoted exclusively to management, Under-Secretary-General for Management, was filled by Alicia Bárcena Ibarra of Mexico. Bárcena was considered a UN insider, having previously served as Annan's chief of staff. Her appointment was seen by critics as an indication that Ban would not make dramatic changes to UN bureaucracy.^[48] Ban appointed Sir John Holmes, the British Ambassador to France, as Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and coordinator of emergency relief.^[48]

Ban initially said that he would delay making other appointments until his first round of reforms were approved, but he later abandoned this idea after receiving criticism.^[43][49] In February he continued with appointments, selecting B. Lynn Pascoe, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, to become Under-Secretary-General for political affairs. Jean-Marie Guéhenno, a French diplomat, who had served as Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations under Annan, remained in office. Ban selected Vijay K. Nambiar as his chief of staff.^[50]

The appointment of many women to top jobs was seen as fulfilling a campaign promise Ban had made to increase the role of women in the United Nations. During Ban's first year as Secretary-General, more top jobs were being handled by women than ever before. Though not appointed by Ban, the president of the General Assembly, Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, is only the third woman to hold this position in UN history.^[51]

Reform agenda[link]

During his first month in office, Ban proposed two major restructurings: to split the UN peacekeeping operation into two departments and to combine the political affairs and disarmament department. His proposals were met with stiff resistance from members of the UN General Assembly who bristled under Ban's request for rapid approval. The proposed merger of the disarmament and political affairs offices was criticized by many in the developing world, partially because of rumours that Ban hoped to place American B. Lynn Pascoe in charge of the new office. Alejandro D. Wolff, then acting American ambassador, said the United States backed his proposals.^[43][49]

After the early bout of reproach, Ban began extensive consultation with UN ambassadors, agreeing to have his peacekeeping proposal extensively vetted. After the consultations, Ban dropped his proposal to combine political affairs and disarmament.^[52] Ban nevertheless pressed ahead with reforms on job requirements at the UN requiring that all positions be considered five-year appointments, all receive strict annual performance reviews, and all financial disclosures be made public. Though unpopular in the New York office, the move was popular in other UN offices around the world and lauded by UN observers.^[53] Ban's proposal to split the peacekeeping operation into one group handling operations and another handling arms was finally adopted in mid-March 2007.^[54]

Key issues[link]

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has the ability to influence debate on nearly any global issue. Although unsuccessful in some areas, Ban's predecessor Annan had been successful in increasing the UN peacekeeping presence and in popularizing the Millennium Development Goals. UN observers were eager to see on which issues Ban intends to focus, in addition to reform of the United Nations bureaucracy.^[40]

On several prominent issues, such as proliferation in Iran and North Korea, Ban has deferred to the Security Council.^[54] In 2007, the Republic of Nauru raised the issue of allowing the Republic of China (Taiwan) to sign the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Ban referenced the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, and refused the motion. On 19 July 2007, Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian wrote to request admission into the UN by the name Taiwan. Ban rejected the request.^[55]

Global warming[link]

Former U.S. President George W. Bush talks with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea. In their early meetings, Ban stressed the importance of confronting global warming.

Ban early on identified global warming as one of the key issues of his administration. In a White House meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in January, Ban urged Bush to take steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions. On 1 March 2007 in a speech before the UN General Assembly, Ban emphasized his concerns about global warming. Ban stated, "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"^[56] (referring to Global Warming, see P:GW portal). On 3 September 2009 he further emphasized his concerns at the World Climate Conference in Geneva, when he stated, "Our foot is stuck on the accelerator and we are heading towards an abyss".^[57]

Middle East[link]

On Thursday, 22 March 2007, while Ban was taking part in the first stop of a tour of the Middle East, a mortar attack hit just 80 meters (260 ft) from where the Secretary-General was standing, interrupting a press conference in Baghdad's Green Zone, and visibly shaking Ban and others. No one was hurt in the incident.^[58] The United Nations had already limited its role in Iraq after its Baghdad headquarters was bombed in August 2003, killing 22 people. Ban said, however, that he still hoped to find a way for the United Nations to "do more for Iraqi social and political development."^[59]

On his trip, Ban visited Egypt, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, where Ban attended a conference with leaders of the Arab League and met for several hours with Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the Sudanese president who had resisted UN peacekeepers in Darfur.^[54] While Ban met with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, he declined to meet with Ismail Haniya of Hamas.^[60]

Ban Ki-moon criticized Israel on 10 March 2008 for planning to build housing units in a West Bank settlement, saying the decision conflicts with "Israel's obligation under the road map" for Middle East peace.^[61]

During a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, 7 January 2009, Ban called for an immediate end to fighting in the Gaza Strip. He criticized both sides, Israel for bombarding Gaza and Hamas for firing rockets into Israel.^[62]

Although the 2009 Iranian presidential election was widely disputed, Ban Ki-moon sent a traditional congratulation message ^[63] to the Iranian president upon his inauguration. He kept silent over the request of Shirin Ebadi to visit^[64] Iran after the crackdown on peaceful post-election protests by the Iranian police – an event that was perceived by some as a crime against humanity .^[65] More than 4000 people were arrested and nearly 70 were killed, some while being held in prison.^[66] In another incident, several prominent intellectuals including Akbar Ganji, Hamid Dabashi, Noam Chomsky went on a three-day hunger strike in front of the UN. The incident was followed by an official request^[67] by more than 200 intellectuals, human rights activists and reformist politicians in Iran for the UN reaction. Ban Ki-moon however did not take any action to stop the violence in Iran.

On 9 May 2012 Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his concern about the condition of the Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli prisons.^[68]

Darfur[link]

Ban took the first foreign trip of his term to attend the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January 2007 as part of an effort to reach out to the Group of 77.^[40] He repeatedly identified Darfur as the top humanitarian priority of his administration.^[54] Ban played a large role, with several face-to-face meetings with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in convincing Sudan to allow UN peacekeepers to enter the Darfur region. On 31 July 2007 the United Nations Security Council approved sending 26,000 UN peacekeepers into the region to join 7,000 troops from the African Union. The resolution was heralded as a major breakthrough in confronting the Darfur conflict (although the United States labeled the conflict a "genocide," the United Nations has declined to do so). The first phase of the peacekeeping mission began in October 2007.^[69]

Myanmar[link]

Ban Ki-moon flew to Myanmar on 25 May 2008 to guide a conference with international agencies aimed at boosting donations for the nation, which was struck by Cyclone Nargis on 2 May 2008. The conference was initiated after Ban had met with Than Shwe, the leading figure of Myanmar's government 23 May 2008. Ban toured the devastation—especially in the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta—23 May 2008 and 24 May 2008. Myanmar officials agreed to allow the Yangon International Airport to be used as a logistical hub for aid distribution.^[70]

Campaign for second term as Secretary-General: 2011[link]

On 6 June 2011, Ban Ki-moon formally announced his candidacy for a second consecutive term^[5] as Secretary-General of the United Nations. He announced his candidacy at a press conference, following a meeting with the Asian group of countries at the United Nations. Ban Ki-moon's first mandate as the Secretary-General was set to end on 31 December 2011.^[71] The five permanent Security Council members supported his candidacy. There was no declared rival for the post.^[72]

On 17 June 2011, he received the recommendation of the Security Council by a unanimous vote,^[73] and, on 21 June, his nomination was confirmed by a unanimous^[6] acclamation vote at the United Nations General Assembly.^[74]

His new five-year term as Secretary-General commenced on 1 January 2012^[75] and will end on 31 December 2016.^[5]

Honors and awards[link]

• Ban Ki-moon was awarded the Order of Service Merit by the Government of the Republic of Korea on three occasions: in 1975, 1986 and 2006.^[22]
• For his accomplishments as an envoy, he received the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria in 2001.
• He was bestowed the Grand Cross of Rio Branco by the government of Brazil.
• He was bestowed the Gran Cruz del Sol by the government of Peru.
• He was bestowed a Doctor Honoris Causa by the National University of San Marcos, the main university in Peru and the oldest of the Americas (2011).
• He was bestowed a Doctor of Laws Degree Honoris Causa by the University of the Philippines College of Law, the national university of the country, in 2008.
• He was honored with James A. Van Fleet Award by the Korea Society in New York City for his contributions to friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea.^[76]

Controversy[link]

According to The Washington Post, "some U.N. employees and delegates" expressed resentment at Ban's perceived favoritism in the appointment of South Korean nationals in key posts. Previous U.N. chiefs such as Kurt Waldheim (Austria), Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru) and Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt) brought small teams of trusted aides or clerical workers from their country's Foreign Ministry. But according to "some officials" in the Post story, Ban has gone further, boosting South Korea's presence in U.N. ranks by more than 20 percent during his first year in office. In response, Ban and his aides have claimed that allegations of favoritism are wrong, and that some of the harshest criticisms against him have undercurrents of racism.^[77] He said that the South Korean nationals he had appointed — including Choi Young-jin, who has served as a high-ranking official in the United Nations' peacekeeping department — are highly qualified for their positions. Others such as Donald P. Gregg, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea say the complaints are driven by envy, "I think being from South Korea, and people have growing respect for South Korea, that's a great enhancement for the secretary general. If he brings along talented people who (whom) he knows very well, I think that's also a plus." U.N. records show that South Korea, the organization's eleventh-largest financial contributor, had 54 South Korean nationals assigned to its mission six months before Ban took over the top U.N. post. ^[77]

Former U.N. Under Secretary Inga-Britt Ahlenius denounced Ban Ki Moon after resigning her post in 2010, calling him reprehensible.^[78]

Question of bias[link]

During the ROKS Cheonan sinking saga, he took the unusual step of demanding action against North Korea for the alleged sinking of a vessel from his country. This move was perceived^{[by whom?]} as unusual because it was rare for any Secretary-General—and particularly Ban Ki-moon—to comment on the Security Council taking action on a particular issue as his office had, in the past, tended to be extremely deferential to the Security Council.^[79]

References[link]