The UN Security Council on Friday recommended that incumbent Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon be appointed for a second, five-year term starting January 1, 2012. The 15-nation council adopted the resolution endorsing a second term for Ban by acclamation, during a closed-door session, and recommended his candidacy for approval by the UN General Assembly. The 192-member assembly is scheduled to meet Tuesday in a plenary session to consider the recommendation, and is expected to approve the resolution. Ban said he was "deeply honored by the unanimous vote." "With this recommendation by the Security Council, I will humbly put myself for consideration by the General Assembly," Ban said in a statement from Brasilia. "It is an immense privilege to serve this great organization as secretary general, and I am grateful for the confidence and support." Gabonese UN ambassador and council president, Nelson Messone, confirmed the decision to reporters following the private meeting. The council's recommendation is the first step in the process to select a secretary general. It requires that the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - agree on the selection. The second step is approval by the General Assembly. Ban is the eighth secretary general since the organization was established in San Francisco in 1945, according to a report of the German Press Agency "DPA".
