New York, Beirut, 13 August 2007 (United Nations Information Services)- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon administered today the oath of office to Ambassador Bader Al-Dafa, following the appointment of the latter as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Beirut-based Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA). The swearing-in ceremony organized for the occasion was attended by Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, Chef de cabinet Vijay Nambiar, and senior UN officials.

Ambassador Al-Dafa pledged to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to him as an international civil servant of the United Nations, to discharge these functions and regulate his conduct with the interests of the United Nations only in view and not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the performance of his duties from any Government or other source external to the Organization. He also pledged to respect the obligations incumbent upon him as set out in the Staff Regulations and Rules.

Upon the conclusion of the swearing-in ceremony, Ambassador Al Dafa signed the declaration pertaining to the oath of office.