The mission of the United Nations is to prevent and resolve international conflicts and help build a culture of peace in the world. It was founded for this purpose after the end of World War II, having evolved from its predecessor, the League of Nations. The UN also shoulders great responsibilities in promoting international cooperation and development. Throughout contemporary history, no other international organization has matched the United Nations in terms of scale, representativeness and influence.

As time changes and new situations emerge, the United Nations is expected to handle much more than its original task. As the CEO of this biggest of all multinational organizations, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has a lot of things on his mind. He has to deal with a wide range of thorny and long-standing issues-the Darfur crisis, global climatic disasters, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the situation in Myanmar, among others.

Climate change, for example, is a relatively new challenge for the UN. The organization has gradually come to realize it is now time for the international community to secure political commitment, build momentum and take joint action to solve the conflict between human development and the environment. In this regard, the UN can provide the right mechanism and channels for international negotiations and collaboration. Ban is keen to strengthen the “preventive diplomacy capacity” of his organization, change the work ethic of the UN and give climate change a firm push by placing it on his global agenda.

Another area of prime concern for Secretary General Ban is the reform of the behemoth six-decade-old organization. This needs urgent attention in a bid to shake off some of the rusty and outdated systems and mechanisms to more efficiently meet the major challenges ahead. As part of this process, the ambitious Secretary General has successfully restructured the peacekeeping operation department and reformed the disarmament sector.

With all these efforts, completed or ongoing, Ban will no doubt leave his mark when compared to his predecessors. He already has impressed the world with his Asian wisdom and personal charisma.

Secretary General Ban appreciates China’s “important and constructive role” in the UN, saying that maintaining a strong partnership between the United Nations and China is very important, particularly to the former.

China was one of the first nations that helped to establish the United Nations. In recent years, the country has made fresh contributions to the undertakings of the UN. China is the country that sends the most peacekeepers to the world’s trouble spots among the five permanent members of the Security Council. China has worked closely with the international community to help settle the Darfur crisis and has hosted rounds of six-party talks to maintain dialogue and consultations on realizing denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. All these efforts showcase China’s determination and capability to work inside or together with the United Nations.

China supports the reform of the United Nations and believes that the world body should play a bigger role to maintain world peace and promote sustainable global development. In developing a symbiotic relationship, both China and the UN are moving in the same direction, where improving our planet and the lives of its inhabitants remains the ultimate goal.