New York – Ban Ki-moon has been reappointed to a second five-year term as the UN secretary-general.
The 192 member UN General Assembly on Tuesday appointed him to a second term beginning 1 January 2012.
The General Assembly made the appointment after adopting a resolution by acclamation at a plenary session on the basis of a decision of the 15 nation UN Security Council to recommend Ban to the top UN post for a second term. The Security Council’s recommendation was made on 17 June.
Under the UN Charter, the secretary-general is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
In introducing a draft resolution to the General Assembly, Noel Nelson Messone, Gabon’s ambassador to the UN, whose country holds the council’s rotating presidency for the month of June, spoke highly of Ban’s role in promoting peace and development in Africa and other parts of the world.
“Your re-appointment today is a sign of the esteem that all those States have for you and of their confidence in you,” Joseph Deiss, the president of the 65th General Assembly session, said at the plenary meeting to thank Ban for what he has done in his first term on behalf of all UN member states.
Ban has been praised for his efforts in climate change, the empowerment of women, UN peacekeeping operations, disarmament and sustainable development.
Two weeks ago, Ban, a South Korean national, put himself forward for re-election as the secretary-general. – BuaNews-Xinhua
