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The new UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took the oath of office at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, swearing to conduct himself solely in the interests of the global body. In the oath administered by UN General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa, the new UN chief vowed to take no instructions from any government or other authority. ¡°I, Ban Ki-moon, solemnly swear, to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience, the functions entrusted to me as secretary-general of the United Nations," he said in the oath.
Delegates from the 192 member nations listening to the oath included Korea¡¯s Han Seung-soo, who chaired the General Assembly in 2001-2002 and is now chairman of the committee handling Pyeongchang¡¯s bid to host the winter Olympics.
The new UN chief told them his priorities are restoring trust in the UN, reform, improving the relationship between the UN Secretariat and member states and setting the highest ethical standards.
He said the top priority was restoring trust and ethical standards in the UN, which is reeling from corruption scandals. "By strengthening the three pillars of the United Nations -- security, development and human rights -- we can build a more peaceful, more prosperous and more just world for our succeeding generations,¡± he said. "My first priority will be to restore trust" to achieve this goal.
Ban also promised to improve the UN's competitiveness, efficiency and mobility to suit the needs of the 21st century by breathing "new life and inject renewed confidence into the sometimes weary Secretariat" and by encouraging UN staff to develop professionalism, multi-tasking and mobility. He said he would seek to improve UN systems for human resource management and career development, offering opportunities for training and mobility.
He concluded by asking member states and UN staff to "start with an open mind.¡± "We cannot change everything at once...That will require intensive and continuous dialogue,¡± he said. "Ultimately, we are all -- Secretariat and member states alike -- accountable to ¡®we the people.¡¯ Our publics will not long respect an organization, or tolerate a secretary-general, who caters [only] to some,¡± he added.
Ban's oath came early according to long-established UN practice to help the secretary-general prepare for office. Ban is to start his work on Jan. 1.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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