Change of guard : Security Council backs Portugal’s Guterres as UN chief

Ex-premier of Portugal vows to serve ‘the most vulnerable’

UNITED NATIONS: The Security Council on Thursday unanimously backed Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal who was the UN’s refugee chief for a decade, to be the next secretary-general.

During a closed-door meeting, the 15 council members adopted a resolution formally presenting Guterres as their choice to be the world’s diplomat-in-chief.

Applause rang out in the chamber as the council recommended Guterres for a five-year term from January 1, diplomats at the session told AFP.

The 67-year-old socialist politician, who will be the first former head of government to lead the United Nations, has pledged to revamp the global diplomatic body to boost its peace-making efforts and promote human rights.

In his first public comment following the voting, Guterres vowed to serve “the most vulnerable” when he takes up the post.

“To describe what I feel at the present moment two words are sufficient: gratitude and humility,” the former Portuguese prime minister said in an address at the foreign ministry in Lisbon.



“Gratitude but also humility. Humility when facing the dramatic problems of today’s world and humility that is needed to serve, and especially to serve those that are most vulnerable,” he added.

“The victims of conflict, of terrorism, the victims of the violation of rights, the victims of poverty and injustices.”

A vote by the General Assembly’s 193 member-states to endorse the successor to Ban Ki-moon is expected next week, probably on Thursday.

The unanimous backing for Guterres followed an informal vote on Wednesday during which 13 of the 15 members supported his candidacy and none of the five veto-holding powers blocked him.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2016.