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First for continent as Annan keeps top UN job

    JOHANNESBURG

    Powerful and impoverished nations on the Security Council gave Kofi Annan a unanimous vote of confidence on Wednesday, nominating him for a second five-year term as secretary-general of the United Nations. The official nomination by the 15 council members - more than six months before Annan’s first term expires on 31 December, paved the way for his re-election by the 189-member General Assembly on Friday, AP reported. Traditionally, the United Nations’ top job rotates every 10 years by region, and Africa should, in theory, be handing over to Asia on 1 January. But Annan, the 63-year-old son of a Ghanaian businessman and Ashanti chief, will remain in the job, giving Africa an unprecedented 15 years at the helm of the world body.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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