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Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, said the international community was failing in its moral duty "to make the world a better place", and called for improved global cooperation to reduce conflict and suffering. Speaking to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on Tuesday, April 5th, Ban said that "in this 21st century with all of the prosperity and capabilities we have, we should haven't so many people suffering." More than 125 million people around the world need daily humanitarian assistance - among them more than 60 million refugees. "This is the most number of people since the end of the Second World War." Ban talked about his frequent visits to refugee camps and the parallels with his experience of being forced from his home at age 6 by war in Korea. He also talked about his fears of nuclear materials being acquired by non-state actors and said "there are no right hands for the wrong weapons." He also talked about the importance of empowering women and he made a plea for California to "remain at the forefront of climate action."
