UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon has been re- elected to serve a second five-year term, in a vote at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, was the only candidate after the UN Security Council unanimously recommended his re-election.
Critics say he is too deferential to major powers, but he has won praise for his policies on climate change and the protests sweeping the Middle East. He took over the UN in 2007.
His second term will formally begin on January 1, 2012 and run until the end of 2016. Ban smiled and bowed to ambassadors and diplomats gathered at UN headquarters, who backed the reappointment through applause without a vote.
“In a complex, difficult international environment, you have strengthened the role and the visibility of the United Nations by adopting reform measures; launching exciting, innovative initiatives; and calling faithfully and constantly for respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the other values rooted in our charter,” UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss told Ban. (BBC)
