António Guterres re-appointed as UN secretary-general

António Guterres was, on Friday, re-appointed to serve a second term as the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN).

On June 8, the UN security council recommended Guterres for a second term in office.

Guterres, the ninth UN secretary-general, first assumed office in January 2017.

Speaking after he took the oath of office in the general assembly hall, Guterres expressed gratitude for the opportunity, and pledged to steer the UN towards making more positive impact across the world.

“This is a solemn moment. I find myself experiencing a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. I am deeply honoured and grateful for the trust you have placed in me to serve as the Secretary-General of the United Nations for a second term,” he said.

“Serving the United Nations is an immense privilege and a most noble duty. I am also very grateful to Portugal for having nominated me again. I am a committed multilateralist but I am also a proud Portuguese. All I have learnt and become has been forged by working together with the people of my country. It is a great honour for me to have with us today the President of Portugal.

“I am acutely aware of the immense responsibilities you are entrusting me [with] at such a critical moment in history — dare I say, at the cusp of a new era. We are truly at a crossroads, with consequential choices before us. Paradigms are shifting. Old orthodoxies are being flipped.

“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.

“The pandemic has revealed our shared vulnerability, our inter-connectedness and the absolute need for collective action. We feel a new momentum everywhere for an unequivocal commitment to come together to chart a course towards a better future.

“I pledge to you that I will do everything in my power during my second term in office to contribute to the positive, breakthrough scenario.”