António Guterres was today sworn in as UN Secretary-General for his second term.
In a speech to the General Assembly Mr. Guterres thanked the Member States and said it was a “great privilege“ to be re-elected as Secretary-General.
Mr. Guterres was nominated by his home country, Portugal and his candidature was approved by the 193 Member States. Earlier the Security Council had recommended his re-election to the General Assembly.
Mr. Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon as Secretary-General 1 January 2017 and will stay at the head of the UN until the end of 2026.
Former Prime Minister of Portugal
Mr. Guterres was born in Lisbon in 1949 and graduated from the Instituto Superior Técnico with a degree in engineering. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015.
Before joining UNHCR, Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.
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