ST. LOUIS, MO – U.S. Senator Kit Bond today welcomed United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to St. Louis and stressed that the visit underscores the city’s leadership in biotechnology and life sciences. 

 

“It is an honor to welcome Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to St. Louis,” said Bond.  “As the center of the nation’s bread basket and the home to world renowned institutions and world-class biotechnology research, there couldn’t be a more fitting place to tackle global issues like food security and hunger,” said Bond.

 

Today, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is visiting St. Louis to discuss international food security and world hunger.   The Secretary General will be speaking at St. Louis University’s Boeing Distinguished Guest Lecture in International Business.  Bond stressed that the Secretary General’s visit to St. Louis underscores the city’s – and the region’s – prominence in tackling global issues.  St. Louis is home to renowned institutions like the Danforth Plant Science Center and Monsanto, where world class plant biotechnology research is conducted.

 

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to St. Louis to discuss world hunger couldn’t be more fitting, emphasized Bond.  The Senator has long said that the biotechnology research like that being conducted at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center will be key to solving world-wide problems of malnutrition, hunger, disease and environmental degradation. Biotechnological research is helping improve food value, vitamin content in crops, reduce viral infections in plants, and improve both soil conditions and pest control. Bond, a supporter of biotechnology since he served as Missouri’s Governor, is now one of life sciences’ strongest advocates in Congress.

 

In a lunch to welcome him to St. Louis, Bond praised Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his leadership in difficult international issues.  As the Foreign Minister of Korea, Ban Ki-moon played a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to address the North Korean nuclear issue.   Bond first met Ban Ki-moon when he served as Foreign Minister.  During this tenure, Bond visited Korea to promote the sale of St. Louis built F-15s, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and to discuss increased trade and investment opportunities between the two nations in the areas of bio-technology, aerospace, and batteries.