Younghoon David Kim, World Energy Council Chair, meets UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

 

Younghoon David Kim, the newly elected Chair of the World Energy Council began his three-year term by holding talks with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on October 21.

The two shared views on the importance of fostering the implementation of Goal 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which recognises energy as a key driver of development. In his first formal meeting as Council Chair, following his inauguration at the World Energy Congress, Mr. Kim reaffirmed that the World Energy Council will continue to work closely together with the United Nations to address the three dimensions of the energy trilemma - energy security, environmental sustainability and equity.

Mr Kim also thanked Secretary General Ban for his message to the World Energy Congress where the Secretary General commended “the World Energy Council for helping to shape the sustainability narrative though the energy trilemma concept”. Mr Kim went on to thank Mr Ban for his leadership during his period as UN Secretary General, particularly in respect of the impact he has had on the energy and climate debate.

 

Speaking after the meeting Mr Kim said: “Secretary General Ban has overseen a grand transition in the way in which we view energy. His leadership in creating the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, ensuring that energy was rightly adopted as a development goal and the culmination of the global climate agreement at COP21 in Paris have all been significant steps forward for the energy sector. On behalf of the World Energy Council, I would like to thank Mr Ban for his leadership and commitment to making a difference”.

The Council is an UN-accredited energy body and Mr. Kim’s predecessor, Marie-Jose Nadeau, served as a member of Secretary General Ban’s Advisory Board helping to set up the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. Mr. Kim is also chairman and chief executive of the Daesung Group, a leading energy company in the Republic of Korea.