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It is my honor to sincerely and genuinely welcome all distinguished guests who participate in the 4th Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum (GEEF) in year 2022 – “REMEMBER OUR COMMON FUTURE.”



Due to the Post COVID-19, we are encountering the moment where we must overlook the future for all of us. Here, the necessity of discussing the future of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the era of Post Covid is rising with contemplating how the Sustainable Development Goals have historically been accomplished so far. Likewise, Yonsei University, as the one leading the SDGs, shall continue performing social engagement & empowerment required by the domestic and international society.

Therefore, we are truthfully expecting that we may settle a new strategy of the SDGs and discuss our new beginning for the common future of all humankind at the GEEF 2022 as a platform of international cooperation.

GEEF2022 Organizing Committee Chair

President of Yonsei University

Seoung Hwan Suh

Let me express my warm greetings to all of you from Yonsei University, Republic of Korea.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there have been many changes around us. Although we are still dealing with challenges and obstacles of the pandemic, we are also given a chance and an opportunity to rebuild a better world for a better future.

Thus, it is my great pleasure to invite all of you to the 4th Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum (GEEF), under the theme - “REMEMBER Our Common Future.”

The Yonsei University, the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment (IGEE), Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens are co-hosting this Forum.

The GEEF 2022 will be held online on February 10th and 11th to feature various key messages and discussions on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in participation of world renowned distinguished guests and speakers from various sectors.

This will be a great opportunity for us to review the progress of SDGs which is vital for a recovery that leads to a greener and better world together.

As we move into the post COVID-19 era, it is essential to bring people together and enhance multi-national partnerships that can explore new directions to effectively achieve the SDGs.

By leveraging this challenging time, we will foster global partnership among civil society, international organizations, businesses, governments, and individuals and empower various stake-holders for concerted efforts to successfully achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Together, we can make this year more hopeful. Together, we can build a sustainable path for our common future. Join us in this noble cause. Thank you very much.

GEEF2022 Organizing Committee Honorary Chair

The 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations

Honorary Chair of the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment, Yonsei University

Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC)

Ban Ki-moon

Since 2018, the Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum has served as a gathering place for leaders, experts, and activists to discuss contemporary challenges such as politics, the environment, human rights and the economy, all within the framework of sustainable development. This year’s topic “REMEMBER Our Common Future” is inspired by the Brundtland Report of 1987 of the same title and will consider the evolving concept of Sustainable Development and how it can be pursued in the present while not compromising the needs of future generations. As co-hosts of the forum, the BKMC is looking forward to intergenerational dialogues and a focus on the SDGs to build back better in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

GEEF2022 Organizing Committee Honorary Chair

Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC)

The 11th President of the Republic of Austria

Heinz Fischer