Mediation: The Case of Myanmar and Cyclone Nargis
Portrait of Ban Ki-moon, 2006
In May 2008, a devastating storm, Cyclone Nargis, destroyed much of Myanmar, causing massive flooding as well as widespread wind damage. The military junta that ruled Myanmar had refused to allow any humanitarian aid to enter the country, fearing an incursion into their sovereign territorial and political space. Concerned about the humanitarian suffering of the people of Myanmar, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered to mediate a solution, using his “Good Offices” to start an in-person dialogue with Myanmar’s military leaders.
Interview with Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by Jean Krasno, 8 June 2017
Jean Krasno conducts an interview with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon where he describes his efforts to find a solution to the crisis in Myanmar.
Note to the Secretary-General, 8 May 2008
Note to the Secretary-General; Myanmar Referendum: Scenarios and Messages, 8 May 2008
Cyclone Nargis article, 3 May 2008
Secretary-General's Press Conference on Myanmar (Unofficial Transcript), 12 May 2008
Ban Ki-moon address press conference on Myanmar, 12 May 2008
This is a photo of the Secretary-General taken on May 12, 2008, at a press conference on Myanmar to address the disaster following Cyclone Nargis.
Secretary-General's Press Encounter Prior to Security Council Thematic Debate on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, 20 May 2008
Picture with Head of State of Myanmar, 23 May 2008
Secretary-General's Press Conference at Hotel Sedona In Yangon (Unofficial Transcript), 23 May 2008
Formal Meeting with Ban Ki-moon and Than Shwe, Myanmar Military Leader, 23 May 2008
Special Envoy for Myanmar Briefs Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 4 October 2007
This photo depicts a discussion at UN Headquarters with the Special Envoy for Myanmar as he briefs Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the situation in the country. The photo is taken on October 4, 2007, well before Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar.
Damage from Cyclone Nargis, May 2008
Note to the Secretary-General: Myanmar Good Offices - Next Steps, 27 May 2008
Photo of Ban Ki-moon with Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari in Myanmar, 23 May 2008
Ban Ki-moon Meets Ibrahim Gambari, Special Envoy for Myanmar, 4 October 2007
Secretary-General's Press Encounter on Return from His Trip to Thailand, Myanmar and China, 27 May 2008
Red Cross Delivering Aid after Cyclone Nargis and Ban Ki-moon's Intervention, May 2008
Analysis of Security Council Informal Consultations on Myanmar, 24 July 2008
Ban Ki-moon Oversees the Delivery of Food to Myanmar by the World Food Programme (WFP), 30 April 2012