DHAKA: Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in Monday (December 12) as Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the ninth U.N. chief in the body's 71-year history.
Guterres, 67, was a socialist Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995-2002 and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005-December 2015, reports FOX news.
He was appointed by the General Assembly on October 13.
After months of competition with candidates from a variety of countries, the Security Council unanimously endorsed Guterres, recommending him to the General assembly for approval. He takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 in 2017.
The incoming Trump administration has stirred anxiety at the U.N., which relies on the United States for 22 percent of its operating budget and about 28 percent of the organization’s $8 billion peacekeeping operation worldwide.
Before and during his presidency, Barack Obama championed multilateralism and often turned to the U.N. to address international crises. Trump has made no such pronouncements.
After being sworn in by General Assembly President Peter Thomson, Guterres addressed the 193 member nations, saying the world body must work to simplify, decentralize and make more flexible its sprawling bureaucracy.
“It benefits no one if takes nine months to deploy a staff member to the field,” he said. “The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient and effective. It must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy.”
Guterres also said he would send a clear signal that gender parity “from top to bottom” within the organization would be among his first priorities.
The swearing-in came after the 193 General Assembly members paid tribute to Ban, ending with a standing ovation for the native South Korean.
The swearing-in ceremony included the U.N.'s top leaders and was attended by dignitaries including Myanmar politician and Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
The selection of a new secretary-general had traditionally been decided behind closed doors by a few powerful countries. But this year, the process involved public discussions with each candidate who was campaigning for the job.
BDST: 1005 HRS, DEC 13, 2016
AP
