The UN General Assembly has elected Ban Ki-moon for a second term as the global body's secretary general.
The 192-nation assembly unanimously backed the former South Korean foreign minister by acclamation.
His second five-year term will start on 1 January 2012 and run through 2016.
After a quiet start to his first mandate, Mr Ban has become noticeable on the international stage in recent months for his outspoken defence of protesters taking part in the Arab Spring uprisings against leaders.
Mr Ban declared his candidacy two weeks ago, was given formal backing by the UN Security Council on Friday and with no challenger to force a contest, the General Assembly meeting was only going to be an official celebration.
A beaming Mr Ban bowed to ambassadors and diplomats who hailed his work since taking over from Kofi Annan in 2007.
In that time, the UN has had to battle disasters in Haiti, Pakistan and Myanmar, douse conflict in Africa and now support protesters in the Arab Spring uprisings.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan told the assembly that the UN Secretary General had probably 'the most impossible job on Earth' but that the reappointment had caused 'great joy' in his home country.
'No one understands the burdens of this role better than he, and my government is grateful that he is willing to continue to take them on,' said US Ambassador Susan Rice in her tribute to Mr Ban.
She called the veteran diplomat 'a champion for peace and security'.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement that France would give 'complete trust and support' to Mr Ban in his second term 'so that the United Nations is more than ever at the heart of an efficient global governance, serving a safer and more just world.'
In Beijing, China's foreign ministry also voiced support.
'China will continue its support for the work of Mr Ban and the United Nations,' foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, according to the state Xinhua news agency.
'We hope that Mr Ban, during his new term, will work with UN member countries to enhance the UN's role in safeguarding world peace, promoting common development and bolstering international cooperation.'
Mr Ban said he 'will continue to act as a bridge-builder and a catalyst for global action.'
