Ukraine
On 26 June 2016, during a speech in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ban said Russia "has a critical role to play" in addressing global issues "from ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, to safeguarding human rights and controlling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."
His comments were condemned by Ukraine's UN envoy Volodymyr Yelchenko, saying that he doesn't understand how the UN chief "can say such things which sort of praise the role of Russia in settling the conflict in Ukraine when the Russian Federation is the main player in aggressing Ukraine and in keeping this conflict boiling."
He also noted that Russia is being accused of human rights abuses in Crimea and is "building up the nuclear potential" on the peninsula.
Syrian Civil War
Geneva II Conference on Syria
Ban has been organizing and moderating the Geneva II Conference on Syria.
Humanitarian action
On 25 January 2012, Ban announced that he would convene the world's first summit on humanitarian aid in order to "share knowledge and establish common best practices."
Known as the World Humanitarian Summit, the event took place in the 23-24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. In preparation for the summit, Ban released a report on 9 February 2016 titled 'One Humanity, Shared Responsibility' in which he laid out an "Agenda for Humanity" based on consultations with more than 23,000 people in 153 countries.
The Agenda for Humanity outlines what is needed to reform humanitarian action, including political leadership to prevent and end conflict, new forms of financing, and a shift from providing aid to ending need. The summit is scheduled to include 5,000 participants, including representatives from governments, NGOs, civil society organizations, and the private sector, as well as individuals affected by humanitarian crises.
Criticism as UN Secretary-General
According to The Washington Post, "some UN employees and delegates" expressed resentment at Ban's perceived favoritism in the appointment of South Korean nationals in key posts.
Previous UN chiefs such as Kurt Waldheim (Austria), Javier Pe'rez de Cue'llar (Peru), and Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt) brought small teams of trusted aides or clerical workers from their country's Foreign Ministry, and South Korean nationals have been historically underrepresented at the United Nations.
Nonetheless, according to "some officials" in the Post story, Ban had allegedly gone further, boosting South Korea's presence in UN ranks by more than 20 percent during his first year in office. In response, Ban and his aides stated that the allegations of favoritism are wrong, and that some of the harshest criticisms against him have undercurrents of racism.
He said that the South Korean nationals he had appointed including Choi Young-jin, who had already served as a high-ranking official in the United Nations' peacekeeping department are highly qualified for their positions.
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