UN Secretary-General Ban announces to seek second term

UN Secretary-General Ban announces to seek second term

2011-06-07 06:23:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced his intention to run for a second term as UN chief and said he would be "deeply honored."

"It has been an enormous privilege to lead this great Organization. If supported by the Member States, I would be deeply honored to serve once more," said the UN Secretary-General

Ban formally offered to serve a second consecutive term as Secretary-General of the United Nations by sending a letter to the Member States of the General Assembly and Security Council.

"Throughout my time in office, I have sought to be a bridge-builder – among the Member States, within the United Nations system and among a rich diversity of global partners. Finding common ground is central to delivering result," added Ban.

Ban took office as UN Secretary-General in January 2007. In his four and a half years as UN chief he has accomplished the elevation of climate change to the top of the global agenda and the continued focus on the needs of the world's most vulnerable, particularly during the global economic crisis.

During his tenure as Secretary-General, Ban has supervised the response to humanitarian emergencies, such as Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, last year's floods in Pakistan and the earthquake that leveled much of Haiti in January 2010.

In addition, Ban has promoted efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Côte d'Ivoire, as well as the countries involved in this year's unrests in the Middle East and North Africa.

"Throughout all these remarkable developments, amid all these crises, the United Nations has been at the forefront. At a time of unprecedented global change, the world increasingly looks to us, the United Nations, to lead on the great collective issues of the day."

Ban, a national of South Korea, is the eighth man to serve as UN Secretary-General. His current term runs out on December 31. So far, he is the only candidate to lead the organization from 2012 to 2016.

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