Former secretary-general of the UN Ban Ki-moon spoke in a live stream with the rector and executive president of Tec de Monterrey, David Garza, and the rectors of the University of Los Andes in Colombia (Uniandes), Raquel Bernal, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC), Ignacio Sánchez.
The three universities, which form an alliance called La Tríada, launched the Spanish edition of his book Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World (Hijo de la guerra, hombre de paz), which comprises the memoirs and vision of this 78-year-old diplomat and statesman from South Korea.
In the chat, held and streamed live on December 12, Ban Ki-moon and the three rectors spoke about the current world situation, peace, and important social situations such as the post-pandemic world and women’s rights.
Reflecting on how to unite nations in a divided world
Ban Ki-moon thanked the effort of the three universities in translating his book into Spanish.
“I feel honored to present this Spanish edition of my book, which is going to be published in Colombia, Chile, and Mexico (...) I hope these memoirs help to unite nations in a divided world,” he said.
The former secretary-general of the UN said he hopes his book will inspire young people.
He mentioned the current brutal fighting in Ukraine, in which thousands of people have died and many more have had to flee that country.
“This war undermines the United Nations and is something condemned throughout the world,” he said.
David Garza welcomed the former secretary-general of the UN on behalf of the entire Tec de Monterrey community.
“We feel very honored to be part of La Tríada (...) and that our publishing companies are participating in this phase so that the book can be available in Spanish,” said Garza.
“We feel very honored to be part of La Tríada (...) and that our publishing companies are participating in this phase so that the book can be available in Spanish.” - David Garza
The rector of the Tec asked Ban Ki-moon what subjects he would address if he were to write the book again.
“If I had the opportunity to write another book, I would like it to be more direct, more critical of global leaders, and ask educational leaders like yourselves to empower young people,” said the diplomat in answer to that question.
When saying goodbye, Garza mentioned that what he had taken from the conversation was how everyone must be committed to saving the planet from the climate crisis.
“And working toward peace. This is a very inspiring concept. You’ve lived it yourself; you’re still doing it; and you’re still promoting it. It’s a responsibility we have as universities,” concluded the rector of the Tec.
Juan Carlos Caiza, former ambassador of Colombia to South Korea, was responsible for presenting the book’s author.
The first book co-published by La Tríada
The publishing companies of the three universities, Editorial Digital del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Ediciones Uniandes, and Ediciones UC, worked on translating this work, which is the first co-published book from La Tríada.
This collaboration initiative came about from the purchase of the translation rights by Uniandes.
The Tec developed the adaptation of its contents into digital from, generating an ePub version of the work (available in several stores).
La Triada, a union between the three top-ranking non-governmental universities in Latin America in research, educational innovation, and student exchange, was formed in August 2018 to find approaches and consensus for tackling poverty, reducing inequality, and achieving a prosperous future in the region.
All the progress of the joint initiatives can be consulted on La Tríada’s virtual platform.
A book of memoirs
Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World contains passages from Ban Ki-moon’s life and presents situations that shaped him and pushed him to be an agent of change.
In the work, the former secretary-general of the UN describes collective action as the main source of hope against the threats of violence caused by war.
Ban Ki-moon was the eighth secretary-general of the UN, from January 2007 to December 2016, a period in which he took up the commitment of creating a better world based on his personal experience.
The diplomat corroborated that international solidarity is a matter of life or death.
“My childhood memories are not about war, but about peace, and the power of international support,” wrote Ban Ki-moon in the book.
In this work, he says he continues to be concerned, above all, about the divisions between countries, the rhetoric of hate from global leaders, and the threats of multilateralism that endanger peace, mainly due to a lack of understanding between different cultures, countries, and regions.
The distribution rights to the work mean it can be published in Spanish within Latin American territory, which includes:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brasil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- México
- Nicaragua
- Panamá
- Paraguay
- Perú
- Puerto Rico
- República Dominicana
- Uruguay, y
- Venezuela.
You can read the first chapter of the book here (In Spanish).
Watch the launch stream here:
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