In his first day at the helm of the United Nations, Secretary General António Guterres today pledged to make 2017 a year for peace.“On this New Year's Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Year's resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first,” said Mr. Guterres in an appeal for peace. He said one question weighs heavy on his heart. “That is: how can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?”
Portugal's António Guterres was sworn in Monday as the ninth U.N. secretary-general. The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient and effective, Guterres told member states. It must focus more on delivery and less on process; more on people and less on bureaucracy, he said.
The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee adopted this week a consensus decision setting out the conflicting positions of the British and Spanish governments on Gibraltar, and including – for the first time – Britain’s double-lock commitment on sovereignty. The decision was agreed by Britain and Spain despite the starkly contrasting views set out at the last session of the Fourth Committee in October, as reported by the Gibraltar Chronicle.
As Minister responsible for the United Nations, I see UN Day as a day of reflection about why the UN matters. The UN celebrated its 70th anniversary earlier this year, and the ambitions upon which the UN was founded remain as relevant and important today as they were at its inception.
In his last United Nations Day message as Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon recognized the efforts of courageous UN staff members who are on the frontlines of disaster and violence and continue to respond to the plight of the vulnerable people across the world.
Argentina extended on Monday its congratulations to Portuguese former prime minister and ex UN High commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres for his appointment by the UN General Assembly as the next UN Secretary General for the 2017/2021 period.
Portugal’s former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres has unofficially been selected as the next U.N. Secretary-General. He is expected to be officially endorsed in the coming days. Following a decisive round of voting Wednesday in the U.N. Security Council, the veteran politician and diplomat prevailed with 13 votes in favor of his candidacy, none objecting to it and two votes of “no opinion”.
Foreign minister Susana Malcorra said that the Falklands/Malvinas issue has “an enormous emotional content”, but as her country's main diplomat her duty is to ensure a dialogue that can advance, in the best possible way, on all issues. The minister also described the Mercosur relation with Brazil as “inexorable”, which is beyond ideologies underlining the significance of Brazil's Michel Temer recent visit to Argentina.
Speaking to the media just days after the signing of the historic peace agreement in Colombia and ahead of the 2 October national poll in which Colombians will have their say on the accord, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated that his Office (OHCHR) will continue to follow the progress of the human rights aspects of the agreement.
Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres maintained his lead in the race to become the next UN secretary-general following a fifth straw poll by the Security Council on Monday, diplomats said. Argentina's Susana Malcorra came in fourth and the best placed woman for the job.