The Security Council Officially Nominates Antonio Guterres for UN Secretary-General

On Thursday, October 7, the United Nations Security Council officially nominated Antonio Guterres, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, for the position of Secretary-General of the organization and proposed to the General Assembly to grant him this position for a five-year term. According to Reuters, Mr. Guterres, who is in Lisbon, Portugal's capital, reacted to this event by stating: "I find these two words suitable to describe my feelings: gratitude and humility; humility in light of the great challenges ahead of us and the overwhelming complexity of the modern world. However, at the same time, to serve the most vulnerable victims of wars and terrorism, human rights violations, poverty, and injustice in this world, it is necessary to be humble." The UN General Assembly is expected to vote next week to appoint the 67-year-old Antonio Guterres as the successor to Ban Ki-moon, who held the position for two terms. Mr. Ban, who was in Rome when the official announcement of Mr. Guterres's nomination as UN Secretary-General was made, referred to him as an "excellent choice." Antonio Guterres served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and held the position of UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. Mr. Guterres's term as Secretary-General of the United Nations will begin on January 1, 2017. The UK representative at the UN described him as the "strongest" candidate for the position, stating that his "vision and moral authority" placed him at the top of the Security Council's options. The French representative at the UN also referred to him as a "true leader" who can bring nations and communities together. Reports indicated that there were 10 candidates for the UN Secretary-General position, but ultimately Antonio Guterres was able to gain the support of the UN Security Council.