South Korean Ban Ki-moon takes the oath of office as the eighth UN secretary general at a ceremony in the UN General Assembly today.
He will take over from Kofi Annan on January 1st.
Both Mr Ban (62), and Mr Annan (68), who has been in office for ten years, are being honoured by the 192-member body with speeches and a resolution.
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A former foreign minister, Mr Ban was selected by the 15-member UN Security Council in October and then approved by the General Assembly as the first Asian head of the organisation in 35 years.
Little known about Mr Ban's policies or future appointments, however, particularly compared to his high-profile predecessor, who travelled widely and spoke out on world issues, sometimes to the annoyance of the United States.
Quiet and unassuming, Mr Ban has made few missteps during his life-long career as a Korean diplomat.
John Bolton, the outgoing US ambassador and an early supporter of Mr Ban, made clear that he wanted more of a secretary than a general by saying repeatedly that the UN Charter described the job only as the "chief administrative officer".
But in an interview after his election, Mr Ban warned those who call him low-key not to mistake him for a pushover.
"I may look low-key or [be] soft-spoken but that does not mean that I lack leadership or commitment," he said.
Modesty and humility were considered virtues by Asians, he said, but should not be misunderstood because he takes "decisive decisions whenever it is necessary".
Mr Ban will start his five-year term in what Mr Annan has called the world's most impossible job with a daunting agenda that stretches from the threats of nuclear proliferation and terrorism to reform of the United Nations management.