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UN Secretary General António Guterres
Photo: Maxim Shemetov / AP
The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) has appointed António Guterres for a second term as Secretary General.
The committee unanimously confirmed the 72-year-old Portuguese as head of the world organization for a further five years by adopting a corresponding resolution.
Guterres ran unopposed and with the support of the powerful Security Council.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister has been in office since January 2017 and is the ninth Secretary General of the UN.
The new term of office starts on January 1, 2022 and lasts until the end of 2026.
In his current tenure, Guterres was primarily concerned with limiting the damage caused by the constant attacks on the United Nations by then US President Donald Trump.
But his record in the fight against the crises around the world is meager: In conflicts like in Syria, Yemen or Mali, the UN remained largely powerless as a mediator.
Human rights activists also accuse the former UN refugee commissioner for not having done enough to promote human rights.
Climate change and the corona pandemic are important issues
On the other hand, Guterres, who is under constant pressure from the great powers, assures that he is working hard behind the scenes to find political solutions to the many crises.
"Sometimes you have to act discreetly in order to establish communication channels between the parties," he said at the beginning of May.
And these are simply "essential in order to avoid the worst in confrontations and to try to find solutions."
Since he has little leverage against the great powers and their proxy wars, Guterres has recently focused publicly on issues such as climate change and the lack of international solidarity in the fight against the corona pandemic.
lukewarm / dpa
