MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ban Ki-moon receives US support for his UN Secretary General second term

The former Korean official was praised for his efforts in Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Ivory Coast Libya.

US President Barack Obama supports UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's bid for a second term and believes he has made important reforms at an institution that is imperfect, the White House said on Tuesday.

Obama's backing will be a valuable boost to Ban Ki-moon, 66, in his drive for a second five-year term, which he looks almost certain to win.

“Under Ban's leadership, the United Nations has played a critical role in responding to crises and challenges across the globe,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

Carney cited UN efforts to support democratic transitions in Ivory Coast and earthquake-hit Haiti, a referendum on South Sudan's self-determination and efforts to resolve the political and humanitarian crisis in Libya.

“The United Nations is an imperfect but indispensable institution,” Carney said. “The secretary-general has made important reforms, such as increasing the hiring of women to senior posts and proposing the deepest reduction in the UN's budget in more than a decade.”

Ban, whose first term ends on Dec. 31, is unopposed for re-election so far.