UN leader spells out five major programmes in second term

Jan 26, 2012, 13:07 GMT

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who began a second five-year term in January, outlined Wednesday five key areas needing significant progress by the organization in order to improve world living conditions.

Ban, 67, said the core UN mission would be to advance sustainable development goals; prevent conflicts and human rights abuses; build a safer and more secure world; support nations in transition and work for women and young people.

'In the next five years, we will wipe out five of the major killers,' Ban vowed, citing malaria, polio, HIV/AIDS infections and maternal and neonatal tetanus.

He called his five-year action agenda 'The future we want' and presented it to the UN General Assembly, which has 193 members, the majority of them developing nations.

He said UN development work has helped poor countries, from ridding diseases to preventing deaths from various epidemics.

'We have seen dramatic (development) progress in a short time,' Ban said in a news conference. 'More effective disease control. More children in primary education. Significant reductions in global poverty.'

In addition to his action agenda, Ban announced plans to form a new team of top aides and senior UN management officials to replace those wanting to leave, including UN Deputy Secretary General Asha Rose Migiro, a former foreign minister of Tanzania.