UN formally appoints new secretary-general
The United Nations on Thursday formally appointed former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres as its next secretary-general.
The 193-member General Assembly burst into applause as Guterres was selected to become the ninth leader of the international body, replacing outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
{mosads}“I have long valued his advice, and long admired his spirit of service,” Ban told the General Assembly as Guterres was being appointed. “He is a wonderful choice to steer this organization as we build on the progress of the past decade while addressing the insecurity and uncertainties of today’s world.”
President Obama congratulated Guterres on the appointment in a statement.
“With tens of millions displaced, U.N. peacekeepers deployed at record levels, climate change already impacting countries worldwide, and extremists targeting innocent civilians, the international community has never relied more on the United Nations than it does today,” Obama said.
“We have every confidence that, as a former prime minister of Portugal and U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Mr. Guterres has the character, vision, and skills needed to lead the United Nations at this critical moment and to reform its organizations and operations to better meet these unprecedented challenges.”
Guterres will take over for Ban on Jan. 1 for a term stretching through 2022.
He was pegged to be the next U.N. leader following a unanimous decision by the Security Council earlier this month. The selection came despite pressure from some U.N. members to appoint its first female secretary-general and Russian interest in seeing a U.N. leader from Eastern Europe.
The 67-year-old former Portuguese leader will be the first U.N. secretary-general to have also served as a head of state. He more recently served as the U.N.’s top refugee chief, from 2005 to 2015.
Updated at 12:25 p.m.
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