Former Prime Minister of Portugal, António Guterres, has been appointed today as the next United Nations (UN) Secretary General by the General Assembly.
Guterres will take office on 1st January 2016. He will succeed Ban Ki-moon, the current Secretary General, who will step down on 31st December.
Ten years to the day after his own appointment as Secretary-General, Ban said: “Secretary-General-elect Guterres is well known to all of us in the hall. But he is perhaps best known where it counts most: on the frontlines of armed conflict and humanitarian suffering,” referring to his time as head of the UN refugee agency.”…”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.”
First ever open election against the usual designation process
The Assembly’s resolution also welcomed the historic process Member States set in motion late last year: the selection of a new United Nations Secretary-General, traditionally decided behind closed-doors by a few powerful countries, has for the first time in history, involved public discussions with each candidate campaigning for the world’s top diplomatic position.
The so-called “informal briefings” between the candidates, UN Member States and civil society representatives started off on 12 th April, when the first three candidates presented their “vision statements” and answered questions on how they would promote sustainable development, improve efforts to create peace, protect human rights, and deal with huge humanitarian catastrophes should they be selected to lead the Organization.
The selection process included, for the first time in the history of the Organization, public hearings with the General Assembly where candidates presented their vision and answered the questions risen by the Member States. These informal hearings were also broadscasted by TV and webcast.
The process begun with a joint call from the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council formally soliciting candidates and from the outset, acknowledged the importance of geographic and gender balance in senior positions.
Guterres will be participating in a meeting called by President Thomson, on 19th October, to discuss with the General Assembly the critical, priority and emerging issues for the global Organization.
Image over the headline.- Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (right), is seen here with Secretary-General-designate António Guterres, just before the General Assembly meeting to appoint him by acclamation the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
