Tanzanian takes oath as U.N. deputy chief, answers critics of her management expertise

(AP) Tanzania's Asha-Rose Migiro took the oath of office Monday as U.N. deputy secretary-general, pledging to press U.N. reform and telling critics she has the management expertise to overhaul the world body.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced Migiro to the media soon after he administered the oath.

"I'm quite confident that with her extensive knowledge and experience as a former foreign minister and development minister of Tanzania, she will bring leadership qualities to this organization," Ban said.

Ban appointed Migiro to the No. 2 job at the United Nations soon after taking over as U.N. chief on Jan. 1. He said he intends to delegate much of the management and administration of the U.N. Secretariat to her, as well as socio-economic and development issues.

Migiro became Tanzania's first female foreign minister in January 2006 after serving for five years as minister of community development, gender, and children. She is the second woman to be deputy secretary-general, a post created by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan and first held by former Canadian Defense Minister Louise Frechette.

Migiro, 50, was asked to respond to critics who say she does not have enough management experience to oversee a major reform of the United Nations so it can meet the challenges of the 21st century.

"I do have that managerial capability," she said, citing her experience as an academic and in successfully managing two government ministries.

"And maybe I should emphasize that, yes, the United Nations is a big organization, but management does not always have to do with the size of the organization," Migiro said.

"What matters is whether one has the experience, the skills, the dedication and the commitment to work as a team. And my experience in the last week has shown that there's a lot of expertise, there's a lot of skills within the United Nations _ and I'm ready to tap the skills combined with my own," she said.

World leaders agreed on major reforms at a U.N. summit in 2005, and the 192 member states have taken some steps to modernize the organization, which was founded in the ashes of World War II.

But developed and developing countries have been at odds over how to implement key reforms. The United States and other wealthy countries have demanded greater flexibility for the secretary-general and the U.N. Secretariat, but poorer nations have been reluctant to give up power over the U.N. budget and administrative matters.

Migiro said she would like to see all U.N. development programs in a country "under one roof" so that there is "one budget, one vision and one voice" instead of many separate U.N. agencies and programs often competing with each other.