UN assembly names Guterres as next chief

UNITED NATIONS: The General Assembly on Thursday appointed Antonio Guterres as the new secretary-general of the United Nations, in a shift towards a more high-profile leadership of the world body.

The 193 member states adopted by consensus a resolution formally naming the former prime minister of Portugal as UN chief for a five-year term beginning January 1.

Guterres told the assembly he was “fully aware of the challenges the UN faces and the limitations of the secretary-general.” The 67-year-old polyglot pledged to work as a “convener, a mediator, a bridge-builder and an honest broker” to confront global crises.

On Syria, Guterres said it was time for world powers to overcome divisions over ending the war. “Whatever divisions might exist, now it’s more important to unite,” Guterres told reporters after the vote. “It’s high time to fight for peace.”

He also called for determined action to confront terrorists and populists who ‘reinforce each other’ in their extremism. “We must make sure that we are able to break these alliances between all those terrorist groups or violent extremists on one side, and the expression of populism and xenophobia on the other side,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2016.