On 29 June 2001, as this issue was going to press, Kofi Annan was unanimously reappointed as Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Security Council on 27 June had adopted by acclamation a resolution expressing appreciation for Mr. Annan's "effective and dedicated service" and recommended his reappointment six months before the end of his current mandate. Acting on the Council's recommendation, the General Assembly appointed him for a second five-year term, beginning 1 January 2002 and ending on 31 December 2006. A native of Ghana, Mr. Annan is the seventh Secretary-General and the first elected from the ranks of the United Nations staff.

General Assembly President Harri Holkeri, calling the timely reappointment "a clear testimony of Member States' continued support" for his ideas and actions, saluted the Secretary-General's continued commitment to reform, transforming the Organization into an effectively functioning United Nations with a new management culture. Noting that he had "excelled in office under trying circumstances", Council President Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh said there was no doubt the Secretary-General would continue to carry out his duties in the "most impeccable, impartial and independent way". Mr. Annan had prepared the United Nations to face the challenges of the twenty-first century and had made the Organization more relevant in today's world, broadening its support base by developing partnerships with civil society and the private sector. Ambassador Chowdhury said that besides his strong support for development, the Secretary-General had "made a difference by advocating reason and hope" in response to conflict situations around the world, "promoting the culture of peace and non-violence, often in the midst of hostilities and despair".

Following his reappointment, Mr. Annan said it had been his privilege to serve as Secretary-General at a time of sweeping change and challenges.

He had sought to equip the Organization to adjust to change, rise to new challenges and serve its Member States and their peoples more effectively, while remaining true to the principles of the UN Charter. This also meant turning "an unflinching eye on the failures of our recent past", he said, "in order to assess more clearly what it will take for us to succeed in the future". Although the United Nations had recently taken the measure of one particular challenge-the global scourge of HIV/AIDS, which he has made a personal priority-Mr. Annan said that many other challenges remained. At the start of the next General Assembly, he announced, he would put before Member States a programme for addressing these challenges over the next five years.

Recalling a "constant sense of obligation" to all the peoples of the world, in particular his fellow Africans, Mr. Annan said he was sustained by a "profound feeling of gratitude" for the encouragement and support he received from many quarters. He noted that he had been inspired by the sacrifices that the United Nations staff made every day on behalf of the people the Organization served. "Whatever I have achieved, I owe to their commitment and support, both in the field and at Headquarters", he said.

Mr. Annan said he had sought to speak out in defence of those who could not speak for themselves-for the right of the poorest to development, and for the right of the weakest and most vulnerable to protection. He had sought also to make all aspects of universal human rights the touchstone of his work, because "I believe that they belong to every faith, every culture, and every people".

Renewing his oath of office, the Secretary-General expressed the hope that five years from now the peoples of the world would feel that the United Nations was closer to them, working better to fulfil their needs and putting their individual welfare at the centre of everything it did. "Only if their confidence in the United Nations has been strengthened will your confidence in me have been justified."