The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres to be the next Secretary-General, recommending that the 193-member General Assembly appoint him for five years from Jan. 1, 2017.

The General Assembly is likely to meet next week to approve the appointment of Guterres, 67, who would replace Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea. Ban will step down at the end of 2016 after serving two terms.

Guterres was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. </s> UNITED NATIONS—The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday officially appointed António Guterres of Portugal as its next secretary-general as he pledged to combat terrorism and extremism while also fighting “xenophobia” and populism.

The 193-member General Assembly voted by acclamation after the Security Council last week nominated Mr. Guterres for the post following straw polls that showed him leading a dozen other candidates.

Mr.... </s> The 193-member United Nations General Assembly appointed former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres on Thursday as the ninth secretary-general of the world body for five years from Jan. 1, 2017.

Guterres, 67, will replace Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea. Ban will step down at the end of 2016 after serving two terms.

Guterres was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. </s> UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in on Monday as the ninth United Nations Secretary-General, pledging to personally help broker peace in various conflicts and reform the 71-year old world body to become more effective.

Guterres, 67, will replace Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea on Jan. 1. Ban steps down at the end of 2016 after two five-year terms. Guterres was Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.

“From the acute crises in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and elsewhere, to long-running disputes including the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, we need mediation, arbitration as well as creative diplomacy,” Guterres said.

“As part of my good offices I am ready to engage personally in conflict resolution where it brings added value,” he told the 193-member General Assembly.

Guterres beat out 12 other candidates, seven of whom were women, amid a push for the first woman to be elected. He said on Monday he aimed to have gender parity among senior U.N. leadership within his five year term.

Diplomats said Guterres is expected to shortly name Nigeria’s environment minister Amina Mohammed as his deputy secretary-general. He is also planning to appoint a woman as his chief of staff before the end of the year, diplomats said.

Before her appointment as environment minister a year ago, Mohammed was U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special adviser on post-2015 development planning - a role that culminated last year with the adoption by the General Assembly of sustainable development goals for the next 15 years.

Guterres is the first former head of government to be elected to run the world body and that experience will be reflected in how he operates, diplomats said.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (back L) and Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (L) watch as Secretary-General-designate Mr. Antonio Guterres of Portugal is sworn in by President of the UN General Assembly Peter Thomson (R) at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

“He’s looking for a big shake-up, reshuffle,” said a senior U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He’s looking to create ... a different feeling, with the under-secretary-generals much more part of a collective leadership of the U.N.”

“Having what he calls a cabinet, like when he was prime minister, his senior officials would come together every week and collectively they would have responsibility for the totality of the organization,” the diplomat said.

Diplomats were now watching to see who Guterres appoints to senior U.N. positions amid speculation by diplomats and U.N. officials that China would like one of its nationals to head peacekeeping and that Russia is keen to have a senior role. </s> UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations’ 193-member states are expected to appoint Portugal’s former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the world body’s next secretary-general.

Peter Thompson, president of the General Assembly, said in a statement that he hoped Guterres would be approved by a unanimous vote on Thursday.

Guterres, 67, was nominated by acclamation in the 15-member Security Council last week to replace Ban Ki-moon whose second five-year term ends on Dec. 31. He would be the ninth secretary-general in the organization’s 71-year history.

Aside from leading Portugal from 1995 to 2002, Guterres spent 10 years as the United Nations’ high commissioner on refugees from 2005 to 2015.

Guterres’ nomination disappointed those who had campaigned for a woman to lead the world body for the first time and also those who hoped the next secretary-general would come from an Eastern European country, but diplomats stressed they were voting for the best candidate regardless of other criteria.

“He’ll take over on the first of January at a crucial time for the U.N., when it is facing huge challenges on peace and security but also on international development and human rights. And the world needs a strong United Nations and he is the best possible leader to build on the work of his predecessors to provide that leadership,” Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said.

The secretary-general manages a staff of 44,000 in addition to more than 100,000 peacekeepers. The position’s responsibilities include dealing with issues such as human rights, refugees and climate change as well as fund raising for the world body’s various campaigns. </s> Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres took the oath of office on Monday to be the ninth United Nations Secretary-General with his hand on a copy of the U.N. Charter in front of the 193-member General Assembly.

Guterres, 67, will replace Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea on Jan. 1. Ban steps down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms. Guterres was Portugal's prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. </s> UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres has been sworn in as Secretary-General of the United Nations, taking over from Ban Ki-moon at the end of the month.

The former U.N. refugee chief was elected by acclamation in the General Assembly in October and takes over from Ban on Jan. 1.

The 67-year-old Guterres becomes the ninth U.N. chief in the world body’s 71-year history.

Guterres performed well in answering questions before the General Assembly while campaigning for the job. His executive experience as prime minister and as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005-2015 propelled him to first place among the 13 candidates vying for the job in informal polls in the Security Council.

Monday’s swearing-in came after the 193 members paid tribute to Ban. </s> WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres has emerged as the clear favourite to become the next United Nations Secretary-General following the sixth secret ballot held Wednesday by the UN Security Council. It is expected to take a formal decision Thursday and forward Guterres' name to the 193-Member General Assembly for final confirmation.



Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which holds the Security Council presidency for the month, informed the President of the Assembly, Peter Thomson, that in the sixth informal 'straw poll' for the position of Secretary-General, Guterres emerged as the clear favourite among the Council's 15 members.



Churkin said the Council's meeting Thursday to take a formal vote is expected to pass by acclamation. That decision would then be formally submitted to the General Assembly for its consideration.



In addition to Guterres, who served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015, 12 other candidates were in the running to succeed the current UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who leaves office at the end of the 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 post.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX </s> The 193 member states of the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution by acclamation, appointing the former Portugal Prime Minister as the ninth U.N. Secretary-General.

Portugal’s former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was on Thursday appointed as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations by the General Assembly.

The 193 member states of the General Assembly adopted the resolution by acclamation, appointing 67-year-old Mr. Guterres as the ninth U.N. Secretary-General to take over from Ban Ki-moon, whose tenure will end on December 31, 2016.

The 15-nation U.N. Security Council had last week voted for Mr. Guterres by acclamation and forwarded his name to the General Assembly.

Mr. Guterres, who was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, will assume his new role on January 1, 2017 for a five-year term that can be renewed by member states for an additional five years.

Mr. Guterres had emerged as the frontrunner in all the six informal polls conducted in the Security Council to select the Secretary-General amid a heightened call by several U.N. member states and civil society organisations to elect a woman chief for the world body, which has had a man at its helm for all the 71 years of its existence.

Mr. Ban, however, described his successor as “a superb choice” for the position of Secretary-General, noting that the two had worked closely during Mr. Guterres’ “long and outstanding tenure” as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

“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,” Mr. Ban said referring to Mr. Guterres’ time as head of the U.N. refugee agency.

He had last week said Mr. Guterres “showed deep compassion for the millions of people who have been forced from their homes. He worked around-the-clock to mount effective operations to come to their assistance”.

“His past experience as Prime Minister of Portugal, his wide knowledge of world affairs and his lively intellect will serve him well in leading the United Nations in a crucial period,” he had said.

Speaking in Lisbon shortly after his selection last week, Mr. Guterres had expressed “gratitude and humility” and had vowed to “serve” those most vulnerable, including victims of conflict, terrorism, violation of rights and poverty.

Under procedures for appointing the world body’s new chief, after the recommendation is transmitted from the Council to the Assembly, a draft resolution is issued for the Assembly to take action.

The last five Secretaries-General were appointed by the Assembly through a resolution adopted by consensus. A vote takes place only if a member state requests it and a simple majority of those voting would be required for the Assembly to adopt the resolution. If a vote is taken, it will be by secret ballot.

The U.N. Charter, signed in 1945 as the foundation of the organisation, says relatively little about how a Secretary- General is to be selected, aside from Article 97, which notes that the candidate “shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council”.

In addition to Mr. Guterres, 12 other candidates were in the running for the position. Action in the Assembly will culminate an historic process: the selection of a new United Nations Secretary-General, traditionally decided behind closed-doors by a few powerful countries, had for the first time, involved public discussions with each candidate campaigning for the world’s top diplomatic post.
The United Nations General Assembly officially appoints former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres its next Secretary-General.