U.N. Security Council Backs Ban Ki-Moon Re-Election Bid
Secretary-general now appears a lock to win second five-year term.
| Posted Friday, June 17, 2011, at 3:03 PM
It looks like Ban Ki-moon will get the chance to serve another term as the United Nations' secretary-general.
On Friday, the U.N. Security Council offered its official endorsement, adopting a resolution recommending that the former South Korean foreign minister continue on in the top job for a second five-year term, Reuters reports.
All that’s left to make it official is next Tuesday’s General Assembly election, but the outcome is all but certain: the Security Council’s vote was unanimous – and there is no other candidate running.
“It’s an immense privilege to serve this great organization as Secretary-General, and I am grateful for the confidence and support,” Ban said upon hearing the news, reports Associated Press.
Ban Ki-moon assumed office on Jan. 1, 2007. As Kofi Annan’s successor, he had big shoes to fill. But unlike Annan, Ban failed to impress with his charm. He has also been criticized for not coming down hard enough on human rights abuses in China and Russia.
Ban supporters, meanwhile, praise his lobbying for climate change, nuclear disarmament, women’s issues, and aggressive military interventions in Libya and Ivory Coast.
“Soon he won’t have to worry about his re-election anymore but he should start worrying about his legacy,” Human Rights Watch representative Philippe Bolopion told Reuters.
