Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday was awarded the “Strait of Magellan” Award by the Chilean government for his global leadership to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

Ban, who now serves as chairman of the National Council on Climate and Air Quality as well as president and chair of the Global Green Growth Institute, won the award for his contribution in leading the international community to adopt Sustainable Development Goals and in reaching the Paris climate agreement during his 10 years of service from 2007 to 2016 as secretary-general of the UN, according to the Embassy of Chile in Korea.

The award was conferred on behalf of the Chilean Government by Ambassador of Chile to South Korea Gloria Cid Carreno at the Embassy of Chile in central Seoul on Tuesday morning.

“With your vision and leadership, you’ve been able to go beyond borders, cross the unknown and generate innovative solutions with a global scope: to build a better world,” said Carreno at the award ceremony.

“Seeking that your leadership remains in Chile, a tree has been planted in your name in the Magellan region, which, along with the trees of the other 54 winners from all over the world, will form a reforestation forest in Chilean Patagonia, for the years and generations to come,” she said.

In response, Ban expressed his gratitude and said that the pioneering spirit of the courageous voyager Ferdinand Magellan is needed more than ever to overcome the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We should have learned by now that these problems are too big for any one country or any one sector of society, and we all must work together,“ Ban said at the award ceremony.

“I would like to accept this award on behalf of everyone contributing to fighting the pandemic and solving the difficult challenges of climate change, and I offer my sincere appreciation to all those working together to discover new global solutions to the current global problems,” he added.

This year, Chile commemorates 500 years since Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, in a voyage financed by the Spanish crown, crossed a natural channel in southern Chile that has since been known as the Strait of Magellan.

The “Strait of Magellan” Award was created to honor the spirit of this exploration.

Funded by public resources and governed by various ministries in Chile, the Image of Chile Foundation, a nonprofit institution in charge of promoting Chile’s branding abroad, presented the award to 54 people and organizations from all around the world whose works represent innovation and exploration with a global impact.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)