BEVERLY HILLS, October 13, (THEWILL) – The United Nations General Assembly on has endorsed former Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Guterres, as the UN Secretary-General.
Guterres, who will take over from South Korea’s Ban Ki Moon, had formerly served as the head of the UN refugee agency and will start his five-year term as UN Secretary -General from January.
The 193-member assembly passed a resolution by consensus to officially approve a recommendation from the 15-member UN Security Council, which had previously appointed Guterres.
President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, praised the transparent selection process that led to the election of Guterres.
“I’m confident that Guterres will serve the global community with dedication as a moral authority and be the voice of our moral conscience and humanity throughout his term,” Thomson said.
The election process, for the first time in the UN’s 71-year history, included open hearings with all 13 candidates and Guterres emerged as a well-spoken and experienced leader with a thorough knowledge of international affairs and the UN system.
Guterres, who has also been praised for his language skills, thanked UN member states for electing him and addressed the assembly in English, French and Spanish, which are three of the UN’s six official languages.
He promised to be a convener, a mediator, a bridge-builder and an honest broker in a world facing large challenges.
“The dramatic problems of today’s complex world can only inspire a humble approach – one in which the Secretary-General alone neither has all the answers, nor seeks to impose his views,” he said.
Story by David Oputah
