U.N. Unanimously Approves Second Term For Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

The U.N. General Assembly voted unanimously to keep Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for another five-year term.

The AP reports:

The 192-member assembly gave the 67-year-old South Korean diplomat another five years at the helm of the U.N. by voice vote. They applauded loudly as assembly president Joseph Deiss banged his gavel and proclaimed Ban's appointment to a new term starting Jan. 1.

Ban said earlier this month that he wanted a second term. He faced no opposition and was recommended by the Security Council for the new term, also by voice vote, last Friday.

He received the endorsement of all regional groups at the U.N., and their chairs joined in sponsoring the General Assembly resolution that was adopted.

Ban took over for Kofi Annan in 2007. The AP reports that after the vote, Ban pledged "keep leading the world body as a 'bridge-builder' at a time of global change"

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.