Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in his second term as head of the United Nations, said he wanted to help people who grew up in the spring of Arabs achieve and maintain freedom and democracy.
As he began a new five-year term that began on new year’s day, Mr. Ban said one of his top priorities was to assist Arab countries which maintain their move towards democracy. He also said he intended to do more for young people and women, and to address the growing frustration of the gap between rich and poor is expressed by the movement occupy.
This is a historic moment of change “that we must seize and help them,” Mr. Ban said.
Mr. Ban’s ability to influence what happens is limited because the Secretary-general had no independent power over international affairs. It is up to the UN’S 191 Member countries to take action, and only the actions of the Security Council of 15 members strong legally-binding.
But the position of the powerful megaphone, and follows the election returns with a unanimous vote by the UN General Assembly in June for a term of five years of the second and final, diplomat says Mr. Ban may feel less constrained by the need to satisfy all UN members, and can become more outspoken and perhaps more influential on global issues.