Former President of Transparency International Malaysia has been appointed special adviser to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General on the Ethics Office, local media reported Wednesday.

"I received a call from the UN in December, asking me to take up the post. The move to set up the Ethics Office is part of the secretary-general's wider initiative for the world body to be reformed," Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

Abdul Aziz said he considered the appointment as an endorsement of Malaysia's efforts in promoting good governance and public practice.

In December last year, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan submitted a report to the UN General Assembly on establishing the ethics office with independent external supervision and auditing.

Annan said in the report that staff members had expressed concern about the ethics climate within the UN in the 2004 integrity perception survey.

The Ethics Office will help foster a staff culture of transparency and accountability and set standards for training and appropriate professional conduct, the report said.

Source: Xinhua