By Laura Trevelyan
UN correspondent, BBC News
Halfway through his first term in office, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is receiving mixed reviews, but how does he think he’s doing in the job
The former South Korean foreign minister succeeded Kofi Annan in January 2007 for five years.
Courteous and thoughtful, Ban Ki-moon describes himself as a harmoniser and a consensus builder.
For the past two-and-a-half years he has been trying to help resolve the world’s many conflicts against a geo-political backdrop where harmony and consensus are sorely lacking.
Mr Ban undoubtedly works hard. He arrives early at his office on the 38th floor of the elegant Le Corbusier-designed skyscraper which is UN headquarters, and leaves late.
Much of the time he is on the road.
Since January 2007 I have travelled with Mr Ban to 16 counties, from Sudan to Burma.
Yet Mr Ban has been receiving mixed reviews at the halfway point of his first five-year term in office.
"This quiet diplomacy or humility should not be construed as lack of leadership"
Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary General
One newspaper called him the Invisible Man, while a foreign affairs analyst declared that he had barely made an impact on the world stage.
I asked Mr Ban how he responded to such criticism.
With an air of resignation, he told me: "I know that as a senior public servant I am not above criticism and I accept humbly all constructive criticism.
"But there are some areas where my work has not been properly represented. Sometimes you need to employ quiet diplomacy when meeting with very difficult leaders in the world.
"When it comes to advocacy, when it comes to universally accepted principles like human rights, I have been as vocal, as strong as anyone else."
The UN secretary general explained that his low-key demeanour was not to be confused with lack of determination.
Blunt
"This quiet diplomacy or humility should not be construed as lack of leadership. When it comes to real crises, I have taken decisive decisions."
Warming to his theme, Mr Ban gave examples. "When it came to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, it was me who first went to the scene.
"The UN, the international community, saved at least half a million lives.
"And it was me again who went to Gaza for the first time [following this year's Israeli Operation Cast Lead]. I spoke out against the aggression, I even expressed my anger about the civilian casualties there."
I was with Mr Ban on both those trips, and he was clearly moved by the plight of Palestinians in Gaza in the aftermath of the Israeli offensive in early 2009, and by those left homeless by Cyclone Nargis in Burma in May 2008.
He spoke bluntly to the Israelis in public, telling them to stop bombing UN facilities where people had taken refuge.
He was equally blunt with Burma’s leaders, and they listened to him and allowed international aid workers into the areas worst affected by the cyclone.
"When it comes to real problems and even with big powers, I have been speaking out," insists Mr Ban.
"You might not know that I have been receiving many complaints and protests from many big powers."
Yet as Mr Ban travels the world and engages with difficult governments, he can run the risk of his visits being used by them to endorse their policies.
Take his visit to the conflict zone in Sri Lanka, just after the government defeated the Tamil tigers.
Gossipy corridors
Or his recent trip to Burma when the ruling generals refused to allow him to meet the jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
UN officials say that on both occasions he delivered unequivocal public messages, casting a spotlight on issues that would otherwise have remained hidden.
In the gossipy corridors of the UN, there has been lots of chatter about whether Mr Ban will get a second term in office.
In practice, this is in the gift of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, the US, Britain and France.
Mr Ban annoyed the Russians at the time of Kosovo’s independence, as they, being allies of Serbia, wanted the UN mission to remain and not be replaced by a European presence.
I asked Mr Ban if he wanted a second term.
"I leave that to the judgement of the member states," he replied.
But would he take it "If they decided to give me another opportunity, I would be more than happy to do that."
For now though, Mr Ban is concentrating on the present, and the importance of combating climate change.
He has been pressing world leaders to reach agreement on curbing damaging emissions when they meet in Copenhagen in December.
Here diplomats give him credit for providing much needed global leadership.
This is an area where Mr Ban’s quiet diplomacy could really make a difference.</p
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