Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon challenges Dubai students to take ‘ownership of the world we live in’

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon challenges Dubai students to take ‘ownership of the world we live in’

The statesman addressed the theme of this year’s conference – ‘Escaping the Shackles of a Post-Crisis World’

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon (Photos supplied)

Published: Wed 9 Mar 2022, 8:48 PM

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, recently visited the campus of Gems World Academy to open the school's Model United Nations (MUN) conference.

The statesman addressed the theme of this year’s conference – ‘Escaping the Shackles of a Post-Crisis World’ – in his opening address to students, in which he talked about the need for global cooperation in order to combat the ongoing pandemic.

He said: "I hope that the biggest takeaway for you will be ownership: ownership of the world we live in, ownership of the sustainable development goals, ownership of the Agenda 2030, ownership of the principle of leaving no one behind, and ownership of your contribution to the world, which might start small but can grow throughout your lifetime."

"I challenge you to think of yourselves as global citizens, as this can help us drop our urge to compete with one another and instead look out for our common well-being. You are part of the largest generation of young people the world has ever seen. Use this