The UN General Assembly on Thursday formally appointed Antonio
Guterres as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, replacing
Ban Ki-moon.
The 193 member states adopted by acclamation a resolution appointing
the former Prime Minister of Portugal for a five-year term beginning
January 1, 2017.
The socialist politician, who also served as UN refugee chief for a
decade, is expected to play a more prominent role as the world’s
diplomat-in-chief than Ban, the South Korean former foreign minister who
will step down after two five-year terms.
In his opening speech at the UN headquarters on Thursday, he vowed to
fight terrorism and populism and to help overcome divisions over
ending the war in Syria.
“We must make sure that we are able to break these alliances between
all those terrorist groups or violence extremists on one side and the
expression of populism and xenophobia on the other side. We must be able
to fight both of them with determination,” Guterres said.
He also highlighted the importance of gender equality in his speech,
calling it a priority commitment of the UN to protect and empower
women.
“I have long been aware of the hurdles women face in society, in the
family and in the workplace, just because of their gender. I have
witnessed the violence they are subject to during conflict or while
fleeing, just because they are women and I have tried to address this
to every public office.
“The protection and empowerment of women in the organisation are and will continue to be a priority commitment to me.”
Guterres won unanimous support from the UN Security Council during a
vote last week that capped the most transparent campaign ever held at
the United Nations for the top post.
The 67-year-old polyglot campaigned on a pledge to promote human
rights and enact reforms within the UN system, seen as clunky and too
slow to respond to unfolding disasters.
His appointment comes at a time of global anxiety over the ongoing war
in Syria, the refugee crisis and raging conflicts in South Sudan and
Yemen.
Born and raised in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, António Guterres was
educated at the prestigious Liceu de Camões (now Secondary School)
where he graduated in 1965, winning the “Prémio Nacional dos Liceus” as
the best student in the country.
He then studied physics and electrical engineering at Instituto
Superior Técnico in Lisbon. He graduated in 1971 and started an
academic career as assistant professor teaching Systems Theory and
Telecommunications Signals, before leaving academic life to start a
political career.
In 1972, Guterres married Luísa Amélia Guimarães e Melo, with whom he
had two children, Pedro Guimarães e Melo Guterres and Mariana Guimarães e
Melo de Oliveira Guterres. His wife died of cancer at the Royal Free
Hospital in London on 28 January 1998.
In 2001, he married his second wife Catarina Marques de Almeida Vaz
Pinto, a former Portuguese State Secretary for Culture and more
recently Culture Secretary for the City Council of Lisbon. Through this
second marriage he has a stepson named Francisco Vaz Pinto da Costa
Ramos.
In addition to his native Portuguese, Guterres speaks English, Spanish, and French.
On 29 February 2016, Guterres submitted his nomination as Portugal’s candidate for the 2016 UN Secretary-General selection.
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