Antonio Guterres secures second term as UN Secretary-General

Antonio Guterres was on Friday re-appointed to a second term as UN Secretary-General, pledging as his priority, to continue helping the world chart a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking the oath of office in the General Assembly Hall, Guterres said he was aware of the immense responsibilities bestowed on him at this critical moment in history.

“We are truly at a crossroads, with consequential choices before us. Paradigms are shifting. Old orthodoxies are being flipped,” he told ambassadors.

“We are writing our own history with the choices we make right now. It can go either way: breakdown and perpetual crisis or breakthrough and prospect of a greener, safer and better future for all. There are reasons to be hopeful.”

Guterres was the sole candidate from the UN’s 193 Member States to vie for its top job. His first five-year term began in January 2017.

He was nominated by his homeland, Portugal, and appointed by acclamation by the General Assembly, following prior endorsement by the UN Security Council, for a second term that runs from January 2022 to December 2026.

WAM