U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday congratulated Barack Obama on becoming the 44th president of the United States and said he looks forward to a strong partnership with the incoming administration. “More than ever before, the challenges we face as a community of nations are global in scope,” Ban said in a statement, noting that climate change, peace and security, food security, and energy alternatives are issues that “require, strong and collective responses.” “President Obama was explicit in committing his administration to tackling all of these problems, urgently and decisively,” Ban wrote. Obama has said that he will work closely with the United Nations and, significantly, restored the position of U.N. ambassador to a cabinet-level appointment. “Together, America and the United Nations can look forward to a new era of strong and effective partnership, delivering results and the change we need,” Ban's statement said. Meanwhile, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) said an Obama presidency could “usher in a new era for green leadership from the U.S.” Obama spoke often of the environment during his campaign and said his energy policy would fight climate change, create jobs, and reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil. He said he would create 5 million so-called green jobs as part of his $150 billion clean energy plan. “Obama's green jobs strategy could deliver a quadruple win, dealing simultaneously with the economic recession, energy security, job creation, and [greenhouse-gas] emissions,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
