UN Secretary General's remarks

The new UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, met today with the UN Press Corps. He highlighted the current challenges he and the UN Face. For a full record, see the link below.

"SG: Happy New Year to you all.
I am very much delighted to see you out in full force, and I thank you very much for welcoming me most warmly.
I think I have met most of you during the last several months, either during the campaign process or the transition period. But only today, taking office as Secretary-General, I can see the full power of the UN press corps. I am very much overwhelmed by all this warm welcome and much attention you have shown to me. In fact, I am meeting all of you even before I meet my own staff.
I was just in the Meditation Room to pay my tribute to those colleagues fallen in the line of service to the United Nations.
Your presence this morning is very good proof that the United Nations is much alive, in the front lines, addressing all the challenges and issues, and trying to give hope to all the people around the world. It is a force to be reckoned with among governments and people everywhere.
I start my day as Secretary-General of the United Nations with much expectation and hope and promise. I need your strong support. I start my duties at a daunting time in international affairs, starting from Darfur to Middle East, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, North Korea - many other crises that trouble our world - from defending human rights and to the need to step up our efforts to reach the target by 2015 the Millennium Development Goals.
These challenges and issues need to be addressed collectively, with collective wisdom and collective efforts. Not a single person, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations; not a single country, however strong, powerful, resourceful, maybe, cannot address this. We need to have some common effort, therefore I need your support. In that regard, I think I am privileged to be able to draw upon the experience and expertise of many distinguished colleagues of the United Nations family; many distinguished predecessors, Secretaries-General, and throughout the wider community I have come to know while serving as Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea.
My first priority today will be to meet my own staff. I am going to have my first staff meeting today. During the transition period, I have been very much impressed by the high level of professionalism, exemplary professionalism and dedication of my Secretariat staff. At the same time, I am determined to help my staff to serve even more and better for the international organization, by persevering in our efforts to change the United Nations, this Organization, and by building a staff equipped to address all the challenges in the 21st century, and also by trying to bridge the gap and divide and mistrust which have been plaguing too much the United Nations.
I am very much eager to get down to my work today, and I regard you as a very important, essential asset and persons who will connect the important works of our United Nations to all the people around the world, and I need your strong support and I promise you that I will try to have, as often as possible, contacts and discussions and dialogue with press corps members, and I wish you again all the best and Happy New Year, and I count on your continued support and friendship. Thank you very much, Ladies and Gentlemen."

http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp