On 14 August 2026, the Asia‑Pacific alumni community convened in Seoul for an international gathering with former UN Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon.
Development Ambassador, Jeffery Liu, who hosted the event said:
We were deeply honoured to welcome Mr Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations and an Honorary Doctor of Law of the University of Cambridge, together with his wife, as our distinguished guests. All those present rose to warmly welcome Mr Ban and to pay tribute to his distinguished record of international public service.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Mr Ban receiving an Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Cambridge in 2016. Alumni offered their warmest congratulations and expressed their profound respect for his outstanding contributions to international cooperation, sustainable development and global peace during his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Mr Ban extended his warm greetings to Cambridge alumni and shared a little-known personal story about his connection with the University – he had once applied to study at Cambridge. He expressed his deep appreciation to the University for conferring an honorary doctorate upon him in 2016 and spoke of the great honour and pride he felt in becoming part of the wider Cambridge community.
Mr Ban encouraged Cambridge alumni to uphold the spirit of Cambridge and to draw upon their knowledge, experience and international outlook to make meaningful contributions to global peace, sustainable development and social progress.
