U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on young people around the world Monday to raise their voices in support of global causes, such as climate change and human rights.



Speaking in his home country, he especially urged young South Koreans to look beyond their borders and broaden their perspective of the world around them.



"All youth should raise their voices on climate change and human rights," Ban said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the U.N. Department of Public Information Non-Governmental Organization Conference in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul. "(They) must assume a greater responsibility in creating a better world."



Ban recalled his meetings with young students during his visits to hundreds of schools and universities around the world. Some of them asked the U.N chief for advice on resolving global issues, such as climate change, and expressed their wishes to have their voices heard.



"I told him, raise your voice loud and clear so that leaders of society can hear," Ban said.



The U.N. chief noted the importance of education in nurturing global citizens.



"We must do everything we can to put and keep children in school," he said, urging an end to inequalities in education along the lines of religion, race, ethnic groups, disabilities, sexual orientation and gender.



"They all deserve equal respect and equal rights," he said to loud applause from the audience.



Meanwhile, South Korean journalists took note of Ban's comments on President Park Geun-hye, as the U.N. chief has widely been considered a strong contender in next year's presidential election.



Ban credited Park, who is on an official visit to Africa, with making "great contributions" to the continent's agricultural and social development.



The remarks came after he hinted at a presidential bid last week, saying he would contemplate his future as a South Korean citizen upon completing his U.N. tenure at the end of this year.



Ban is scheduled to return to New York later in the day after wrapping up a six-day visit to South Korea and Japan. (Yonhap)



