(REUTERS): UN General Assembly on Friday appointed Antonio Guterres as the UN Secretary-General for a second term beginning January 1, 2022.
“I will give it my all to ensure the blossoming of trust between and among nations large and small, to build bridges, and to engage relentlessly in confidence building,” Guterres told the General Assembly after taking the oath of office.
President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir announced that Guterres has been appointed by acclamation Secretary-General of the United Nations for the second term of office beginning on January 1, 2022 and ending on December 31, 2026. Bozkir then administered the oath of office to 72-year-old Guterres at the podium of the UN General Assembly hall.
On June 8, the 15-nation Council had held a closed meeting where it adopted by acclamation the resolution that recommended Guterres’ name to the General Assembly for a second five-year term as Secretary-General.
Estonia’s Ambassador to the UN Sven Jurgenson, President of the Council for the month of June, had told reporters after the meeting, “We have all seen actually the Secretary-General in action. I think he has been an excellent Secretary-General. He’s a bridge-builder, his views on the conflict zones in the world and he’s able to speak to everybody.”
Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon in January 2017. Much of Guterres’ first term was focused on placating Trump, who questioned the value of the United Nations and multilateralism.
The United States is the largest UN financial contributor, responsible for 22 percent of the regular budget and around a quarter of the peacekeeping budget. President Joe Biden, who took office in January, has started restoring funding cuts made by Trump to UN agencies and re-engaged with the world body.
Guterres was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and head of the UN refugee agency from 2005 to 2015. As secretary-general, he has been a cheerleader for climate action, Covid-19 vaccines for all and digital cooperation.
