WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama supports U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon&${esc.hash}39;s bid for a second term and believes he has made important reforms at an institution that is imperfect, the White House said on Tuesday.
Obama&${esc.hash}39;s backing will be a valuable boost to Ban, 66, in his drive for a second five-year term, which he looks almost certain to win.
"Under Ban&${esc.hash}39;s leadership, the United Nations has played a critical role in responding to crises and challenges across the globe," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
Carney cited U.N. efforts to support democratic transitions in Ivory Coast and earthquake-hit Haiti, a referendum on South Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s self-determination and efforts to resolve the political and humanitarian crisis in Libya.
"The United Nations is an imperfect but indispensable institution," Carney said. "The secretary-general has made important reforms, such as increasing the hiring of women to senior posts and proposing the deepest reduction in the U.N.&${esc.hash}39;s budget in more than a decade."
Ban, whose first term ends on Dec. 31, is unopposed for re-election so far.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by John O&${esc.hash}39;Callaghan)
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