The UN and Climate Change

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is travelling to the Arctic to witness firsthand the impact of climate change. His goal is to build momentum in the lead up to the UN climate change conference to be held in December in Copenhagen, where he will urge countries to hammer out a new greenhouse gas emissions reduction pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

According to Asia Society's Director of Policy Studies Suzanne DiMaggio, who was formerly the Vice President of the United Nations Association of the USA, "Mr. Ban's trip has been badly marred by the recent leak of a confidential memo by a Norwegian diplomat that scathingly characterized him as a weak and ineffective leader, lacking in charisma. At the half-way point of his five-year term, the memo brought to the fore a question that both friends and foes of the UN have been thinking—whether Mr. Ban will be a one-term Secretary-General. Mr. Ban was the Bush administration's choice to take over the reins from Kofi Annan, arguably the most charismatic Secretary-General in the history of the UN, and whose relationship with President Bush was at best uneasy and at worst acrimonious, especially following the Iraq war in March 2003. It is still unclear whether the Obama administration will support Mr. Ban for a second term. Given President Obama's emphasis on re-engaging with a more visible and relevant UN, fading support for Mr. Ban would not be surprising."

Suzanne is available for commentary and analysis in connection with the UN high-level conference on climate change in New York on September 22, and the annual General Assembly debate, scheduled for September 23-26 and 28-30.

To arrange an interview, please contact the Asia Society communications department at 212-327-9271 or [email protected].