At the United Nations, the veteran South Korean diplomat Ban Ki-moon was sworn in Thursday as the U.N.’s eighth secretary-general.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “By strengthening the three pillars of our United Nations — security, development and human rights — we can build a more peaceful, more prosperous and more just world for our succeeding generations. As we pursue our collective endeavor to reach that goal, my first priority will be to restore trust. I will seek to act as a harmonizer and bridge builder.”

In one of his last addresses, outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised his successor.

Outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan: “I depart convinced that today’s United Nations does more than ever before. It does it better than ever before. Yet our work is far from complete. Indeed, it will never be. It falls to my successor to carry forward the U.N.'s valuable mission. From the contacts I've had with him, I already know that you have chosen well. Our organization will be in safe hands.”

Annan steps down at the end of the month.