The Ban Ki-moon Foundation Reflects on a Transformative 2025
On International Women’s Day 2026, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation (BKMF) released its long-awaited annual report for 2025. Under the leadership of the 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Austrian President Dr. Heinz Fischer, the organization looks back on a year marked by structural growth and massive global reach. Having reached over 2.8 million people worldwide, the foundation is setting new standards in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The Ban Ki-moon Foundation (formerly known as the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens) is headquartered in Vienna and is also honored by regular visits from Austria’s current president, Alexander Van der Bellen. / Picture: © Österreichische Präsidentschaftskanzlei / Peter Lechner/HBF
The year 2025 marked a historic turning point for the organization. On December 1, 2025, the former “Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens” officially changed its name to the Ban Ki-moon Foundation. This step highlights the institution’s evolving identity as a global force for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the Paris Agreement. With offices in Vienna, Seoul, and New York, as well as a presence in China, the Foundation has firmly established itself as a “quasi-international organization” within the diplomatic framework.
Climate Justice: Focus on the Most Vulnerable
A central feature of the 2025 Annual Report is the “Elevating Agricultural Adaptation” initiative. The Foundation highlights that while smallholder farmers worldwide produce one-third of the global food supply, they receive only a negligible portion of global climate finance—estimated at just 0.8%.
In 2025, the BKMF worked intensively to close this funding gap. Given an estimated annual funding need of over 200 billion U.S. dollars for smallholder farmers, the foundation advocated for policy reforms at international summits such as COP29 in Baku and the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. A particular success was the work of the “Youth AgriChampions,” a group of young agricultural entrepreneurs who presented a policy paper calling for locally led adaptation measures.
Education as the Key: The Post-2030 Agenda
Another focus was on “Global Citizenship Education” (GCED). The Foundation integrated educational programs into national curricula worldwide to prepare young people for the challenges of an interconnected world.
Of particular note is the handbook “The Making of a Global Citizen,” published in January 2026. It features stories and advice from global leaders such as Ban Ki-moon, Heinz Fischer, and former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova to inspire the next generation of “change makers.” The Foundation also plays a leading role in the “Mission 4.7” initiative, which aims to make SDG 4.7 (Education for Sustainable Development) a reality worldwide.
Empowerment of Women and Youth
In keeping with its release on International Women’s Day, the report highlights the transformative power of women’s rights. In regions from Africa to Asia, the BKMF supported programs that enable women to access green jobs. In 2025, the “Your Future in Green Jobs” mentoring program equipped young talent with the necessary skills for sustainable careers to shape the transition to a carbon-neutral economy in a socially just manner.
The Way Forward: The Post-2030 Era
As the year 2030 draws ever closer, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation is already looking beyond this horizon. In close collaboration with the Austrian government and international partners such as the “Salzburg Global Seminar,” the Foundation explored last year what the global agenda must look like beyond 2030.
Ban Ki-moon summarized the Foundation’s vision in a message accompanying the annual report: The goal is to “shape global leaders who care about people, the planet, and prosperity.” With 2.8 million people reached last year alone, this path seems more solid than ever, despite global crises.