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Born in Korea on 13 June 1944, Ban Ki-moon studied international relations and holds a Masters’degree in Public administration from Harvard University. His many assignments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his country led him to develop longstanding ties with the United Nations, dating back to 1975 when he worked for the Foreign Ministry’s United Nations division. In 2001-2002, as Chef-de-Cabinet during the ROK’s Presidency of the General Assembly, he facilitated the prompt adoption of the first resolution of the session, condemning the terrorist attacks of 11 September, and undertook a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the Assembly’s functioning, thereby helping to turn a session that started out in crisis and confusion into one in which a number of important reforms were adopted. He is appointed Secretary-General in 2006 and is due to end in 2011.
- His
priorities as Secretary-General
(Biography written with the help of the UN website).