On Wednesday, the board of governors of the UN atomic agency - the International Atomic Energy Agency - approved the decision of giving the agency's Japanese director general Yukiya Amano a second term, even without voting on the move.

The decision taken by the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to give Amano a new four-year term was a notable one, especially since the agency had taken as many as six rounds of voting to select Amano for the first term in 2009. The elaborate voting procedure that time round was essentially a result of the fact that developing countries has expressed the apprehension that Amano would be pro-Western.

However, selecting Amano for a second term was a move which the board passed by consensus, without resorting to the voting process. The second term for the 65-year-old Amano as the IAEA director general will commence in December, after all the 159 IAEA members complete the formality of approving his selection in September.

The highest-profile challenge which Amano will face in his second term will be again in Iran; at a time when global concerns are being voiced about Tehran's plans to develop nuclear weapons under the pretext of a civilian atomic programme.

Noting that the challenges he will be facing in his second term are "many and huge," Amano told reporters: "I like my job and enjoy my job, and I am very happy to do good in the world and make a difference."