9 October 2009 – United Nations leaders today warmly praised the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying the United States leader’s commitment to work through the world body “gives the world's people fresh hope and fresh prospects.” “This is great news for President Obama, for the people of the United States, and for the United Nations,” he told reporters, calling it “a very wise decision,” and describing the President’s support for the world body as “a great source of encouragement.” Mr. Ban added: "We are entering an era of renewed multilateralism, a new era where the challenges facing humankind demand global common cause and uncommon global effort. President Obama embodies the new spirit of dialogue and engagement on the world's biggest problems: climate change, nuclear disarmament and a wide range of peace and security challenges." The UN applauds him and the Nobel committee for its choice, the Secretary-General said, noting that he looks forward to deepening the US-UN partnership “as a key building block to a better and safer world for all.” Asked about comments from some that the award was premature, and that while Mr. Obama has perhaps changed the tone of US relations with the rest of the world, he has not yet achieved any of his the goals, Mr. Ban replied: “I wholeheartedly support it. Full Article at GlobalSecurity.org