The United Nations moved into a new historical era when Ban Ki Moon took the reins of the world body at the start of the new year. In the years ahead, the international community will focus ever-closer attention on the organization.

It stands ready to watch how the new secretary general will steer the UN toward the ultimate goals enshrined in its charter. In particular, it is eager to see how the South Korean diplomat will deal with the problems in Asia and the world at large. The reform of the UN is also a top concern of its 192 member countries.

Many expectations have been placed on Ban. In short, he is expected to play important roles in the following six areas:

l Checking unilateral actions that tend to marginalize the UN and making the most of the UN’s collective security mechanism;

l Safeguarding the UN Charter, helping to maintain the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN members, especially developing countries, and thus turning the UN Charter into a powerful legal screen;

l Making unique contributions to UN peacekeeping missions;

l Taking concrete steps to bridge the gap between developed countries and developing countries, reduce poverty and realize the Millennium Development Goals;

l Promoting UN reform, which is currently at a crucial juncture, in a phased and rational manner; and

l Enhancing the efficiency and integrity of UN agencies and their employees.

It is the sincere hope of the international community that the UN will take on an innovative and powerful new look while seeking to resolve the problems, disputes and conflicts haunting the world today.

Ban comes from Asia, and it is therefore natural that Asia places high hopes on him. It should be noted that Asia, with a large number of countries and a dense population, has greater diversity and complexity than any other continent. It is beset by a myriad of tough, complicated problems. Ban has already taken note of the nuclear issue in North Korea and Iran, the disputes between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and antiterrorism in Central Asia. These issues will certainly be on his agenda.