French President Francois Hollande shakes hands with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon after awarding him with the Legion of Honour (Legion d’Honneur) at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Credit: Bertrand Guay/Pool/Reuters
Paris: UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon received the Legion of Honour from French President Francois Hollande on Thursday for his contributions to tackling climate change.
The South Korean diplomat helped push through the 2015 Paris Agreement, a deal aimed at moving away from fossil fuels to cleaner energies that was signed by almost 200 countries after nearly two decades of negotiations.
“It was largely because of your contribution, because many years ago you started putting this topic on all the agendas,” Holland said at the ceremony of Ban‘s efforts.
The Legion of Honour was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is considered to be one of France’s highest civilian awards.
“By doing this you are rewarding our honourable organisation and I feel deeply honoured and proud,” said Ban, who will step down as head of the 193-member world organisation after 10 years on January 1. He will be replaced by Antonio Guterres of Portugal.
The post Ban Ki-moon Receives Legion of Honour From Hollande appeared first on The Wire.