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New Deputy Secretary-General takes oath of office, vows to work for integrated UN

New Deputy Secretary-General takes oath of office, vows to work for integrated UN

Deputy Secretary-General Migiro addresses media
Former Tanzanian Foreign and Development Minister Asha-Rose Migiro was sworn in today as UN Deputy Secretary-General, pledging to support management and reform initiatives while advancing the work of the United Nations.

“In all I do I will strive to bring about a more integrated United Nations, which delivers as one,” Ms. Migiro, 50, said after being introduced to the press at UN Headquarters by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon following a brief swearing-in ceremony.

At the time of Ms. Migiro’s appointment early last month, Mr. Ban stated that he would “delegate much of the management and administrative work” to his Deputy “under a clear line of authority to ensure that the Secretariat will function in a more effective and efficient manner.”

The Secretary-General, who had met with Ms. Migiro several times in the past when they represented their respective governments, also voiced confidence in her and remarked that “with her extensive knowledge and experience… she will bring leadership qualities to this Organization.”

In response to questions from the press, Ms. Migiro stressed that her background as head of two Tanzanian Government Ministries and her work in academia would help her in tackling the challenges of her new job, underscoring the importance of having “the experience, the skills, the dedication and the commitment to work as a team.”

“I am also fully committed to supporting the priorities set by the Secretary-General,” she said, and these priorities include “strengthening the work of the United Nations, enhancing trust between Member States and the Secretariat [and] bolstering the working culture of the Organization to ensure it is equipped to meet the mandates our membership has given us.

“I look forward to the task ahead with excitement and enthusiasm, but equally with profound humility, and above all I look forward to working with the Secretary-General to implement his vision,” she said.