U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speaks during a news conference at the U.N. in New York January 11, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his pledge on Thursday to strengthen the world body by restoring trust, enhancing institutional capacity and changing the working culture.

    Ban listed a number of priorities at his first formal news conference since assuming office on Jan. 1.

    "I have had a busy first 10 days in office," Ban said. "The next three months promise to be even busier."

    "I will strive to restore trust, both between member states and(the) Secretariat, and between senior management and staff.

    "I will seek to strengthen institutional capacity, and to ensure that the Secretariat is structured in a way that allows it to respond effectively to the demands place on us," Ban said.

    He also vowed to strive to change the working culture of the world body.

    "My goal will be to build a staff which is truly mobile and multi-functional, through greater emphasis on career development, training, accountability, and recognition of work performed at all levels," Ban said.

    The UN chief, who will attend the African Union summit in Addis Ababa at the end of the month, said Africa will be the focus of many of his priorities.

    He will also go to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the UN has its largest peacekeeping mission, and meet with peacekeepers and thank them for "the contributions they are making under difficult and often dangerous conditions."

    He also promised to "inject new momentum into the search for peace and stability in the Middle East."

    "I will attend the Lebanon reconstruction conference in Paris. On Israel-Palestine, I am pushing for a Quartet meeting to take place as soon as possible," Ban said, referring to the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States.

    However, the UN chief said issues of peace and stability must not be allowed to overwhelm international efforts on other areas.

    "We must step up our work to reach the Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015. And we must do far better in the mission to halt climate change." 

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    UN chief urges more diplomatic efforts on Somalia

    UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Thursday for a redoubling of diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Somalia.

    At his first formal press conference since assuming office 10 days ago, Ban said he was closely following the situation in Somalia and was concerned about "the possibility of impact on civilians and the reported loss of civilians (in air strikes launched by the United States there)."  Full story>>>