Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday unanimously agreed to reappoint Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to a second five-year term, even as his office has yet to make serious inroads toward solving Burma’s ills.
Speaking in New York shortly after his reappointment, Ban told a press gathering, ‘We can be proud of what we have achieved, and we should be proud of the progress so far, but clearly we have far to go. Too many people lack basic human rights’. He added, ‘Seldom has the United Nations been more relevant; never has it been more necessary’.The South Korean diplomat’s initial period in office coincided with a number of major events in Burma, including the 2007 Saffron Revolution, the humanitarian crisis following Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and the first general election in 20 years in November 2010.
Throughout Ban’s tenure, Burma has remained a challenging subject for the world’s top diplomat, with a steady stream of reported rights abuses. In December 2008, he cancelled an intended visit to the Southeast Asian country, citing the lack of tangible progress toward UN-mandated goals as a reason.
Meanwhile, the position of the secretary-general’s special envoy to Burma remains unfilled, with Ban’s chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, currently acting as a special advisor on Burma. Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari previously vacated the post in December 2009.
Following Nargis, which left an estimated 140,000 dead and affected a further 2.4 million, Ban led an international effort in gaining access for relief work in Burma’s hard-hit delta region. On 25 May, nearly three weeks after the devastating storm struck, Ban attended the Asean-United Nations International Pledging Conference in Rangoon, Burma. As a result of the gathering the Tripartite Core Group (TCG), incorporating Burma, Asean and the UN, was formed.
Though heralded as a success by many, the TCG also came under withering attack from a number of circles.
Ban’s new term will commence on 1 January 2012 and conclude on the 31 December 2016. He is the body’s 8th secretary-general. While there is no legal barrier to the number of terms an individual may serve as secretary-general, no person has thus far held the office for more than two terms.
