Appointed of a New UN Secretary General

On Thursday October 13, the UN General Assembly 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 PM of Portugal for a five-year term beginning on 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 October 13 he vowed to fight terrorism and populism and to help overcome divisions over ending the war in Syria.