- In full:
- António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres
- Born:
- April 30, 1949, Lisbon, Portugal (age 77)
- Title / Office:
- prime minister (1995-2002), Portugal
António Guterres
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Who is António Guterres?
António Guterres, born April 30, 1949, is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. He served as the prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and as the Secretary-General of the United Nations starting in 2017.
Guterres studied physics and engineering at the Universidade de Lisboa, graduating in 1971. He became involved in politics during Portugal's transition to democracy, joining the Socialist Party in 1974 and being elected to parliament in 1976. As prime minister, he oversaw Portugal’s adoption of the euro and the transfer of Macau to Chinese sovereignty. In 2005, he was elected UN High Commissioner for Refugees, enhancing the organization’s response to global conflicts. On October 13, 2016, the UN General Assembly elected Guterres as UN Secretary-General, succeeding Ban Ki-Moon, and he was sworn in on December 12, 2016.
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What country is António Guterres from?
António Guterres, the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who was born in Lisbon Portugal. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and assumed his role as secretary-general of the UN on January 1, 2017.
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What important position does António Guterres hold at the United Nations?
António Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Elected by the General Assembly, he began his term on January 1, 2017, succeeding Ban Ki-Moon. As the chief administrative officer, he oversees the UN Secretariat, whose staff are permanent expert officials, not political appointees, forming an international civil service. The Secretary-General is the chief spokesperson for the UN and is that body’s most visible and authoritative figure in the arena of world affairs.
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What did António Guterres do before becoming Secretary-General of the UN?
Before becoming Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres had a distinguished career in Portuguese politics. He was active in the protest movement against the dictatorship in Portugal and joined the Socialist Party in 1974. Guterres was elected to the Portuguese parliament in 1976 and later became the secretary-general of the Socialist Party in 1992. In 1995, he became the prime minister of Portugal, where he oversaw Portugal’s transition to the euro and played a role in resolving the crisis in East Timor. After resigning as prime minister in 2002, Guterres was elected as the High Commissioner for Refugees by the UN General Assembly in 2005, where he served until 2015.
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What are some of the main responsibilities of the UN Secretary-General?
As the chief administrative officer of the United Nations, the Secretary-General has many responsibilities. He is the chief administrative officer at all meetings of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, and Trusteeship Council. The Secretary-General may bring to the Security Council's attention any matter that he deems a threat to international peace and security. He is also charged with preparing the UN’s budget.
The Secretary-General is the chief spokesperson for the UN and is that body’s most visible and authoritative figure in the arena of world affairs. He submits an annual report to the General Assembly on the work of the UN. The Secretary-General often serves as a high-level negotiator and may exercise diplomacy that can be characterized as mediatory. The Secretary-General is elected by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, for a renewable five-year term. António Guterres was elected to the position in 2016 and his term began on January 1, 2017.
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What are some major global issues António Guterres has focused on during his time at the UN?
António Guterres has focused on several major global issues during his time as the UN Secretary-General, which began on January 1, 2017. As the High Commissioner for Refugees, he addressed conflicts causing displacement, urging wealthy nations to aid refugees. He also improved the UNHCR's efficiency by cutting Geneva headquarters staff and costs while boosting response capabilities.
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António Guterres (born April 30, 1949, Lisbon, Portugal) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who served as prime minister of Portugal (1995–2002) and secretary-general of the United Nations (2017– ).
Guterres studied physics and engineering at the Universidade de Lisboa’s elite Instituto Superior Técnico, earning a degree in 1971. His time as a student was marked by the decline of the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar, and Guterres was active in the protest movement that helped to topple Salazar’s successor, Marcello Caetano, in 1974. After graduating, Guterres worked as a physics instructor, but, as Portugal began its transition to democracy, he became more active in politics. He joined the Socialist Party in 1974, and two years later he was elected to the Portuguese parliament. Over the next two decades, he served on a variety of parliamentary committees, and, from 1981 to 1983, he was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
In 1992 he was elected secretary-general of the Socialist Party, and in 1995 he was elected prime minister of Portugal at the head of a minority government. During his term Guterres oversaw Portugal’s transition to the euro as its official currency and presided over the transfer of Macau to Chinese sovereignty. He also played a key role in the resolution of the crisis in East Timor (Timor Leste); the former Portuguese colony had been under Indonesian occupation since 1975 and Guterres was a prominent advocate for Timorese independence. After the Socialists were soundly beaten in local elections in December 2001, Guterres resigned, and in early legislative elections held in March 2002, the Socialists were swept from power. In 2005 the UN General Assembly elected Guterres to serve as the High Commissioner for Refugees. He increased efficiency at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), reducing staff and costs at its Geneva headquarters while improving the organization’s response capabilities. Such steps were clearly necessary at a time when conflicts were displacing populations at a level not seen since World War II, and Guterres used his position to encourage rich countries to do more to aid the world’s refugees.
On October 13, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly elected Guterres to serve as UN secretary-general. After six rounds of straw polling among the 15 members of the Security Council, Guterres emerged from a crowded field that included former Slovenian president Danilo Turk and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark. Of the 13 candidates, 7 were women, and many believed that the Security Council would make history by nominating its first female secretary-general. Guterres was the clear front-runner, however, and in the final vote the typically fractious Security Council found rare consensus, with 13 votes in favour of Guterres and 2 abstentions, with none opposed. On December 12 he took the oath of office and was sworn in as the ninth secretary-general in UN history, succeeding South Korea’s Ban Ki-Moon. Guterres’s term began on January 1, 2017.