Antonio Guterres set to be re-elected as UN Secretary-General: Official

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is all set to be re-elected as chief of the world body as the UN Security Council on June 8 voted to recommend that the General Assembly give the 72-year-old another term. Guterres is the former prime minister of Portugal and he has held his position as Secretary-General since 2017 and faced no competition for the next term in the job. Around 10 other people had sought the position, but they were not formal candidates because none of the 193 UN member states endorsed them.

Now, approval from the General Assembly is seen as a formality. After Tuesday’s closed-door meeting, Estonia’s Ambassador to the UN Sven Jürgenson, President of the Council for the month of June, told reporters that the Council has recommended to the General Assembly that Guterres be appointed as the Secretary-General for the second term of office from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2026. He even said that the vote in the General Assembly to re-elect Guterres could take place on June 18. 

"Even though we had only one official candidate, the process of the selection has not changed since last time. Now we pass on the torch to the UN General Assembly," Sven said.

He added, "We have all seen actually the Secretary-General in action. I think he has been an excellent Secretary-General. He’s a bridge-builder, his views on the conflict zones in the world and he’s able to speak to everybody. And I think this is something that is expected from the Secretary-General and he has proven worthy of the post already with the five years that he has been in office”. 

India expresses support for Guterres' re-election 

India had expressed its support for the re-election of Guterres as UN Chief and welcomed the adoption of the resolution recommending his name. While taking to Twitter,  UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said that the nation welcomes the adoption of UN resolution recommending Guterres a second term. 

Guterres, nominated by the Government of Portugal, has been the only official candidate for the position of Secretary-General and his re-election was a given. During his first term, the 72-year-old was forced to concentrate on limiting potential damage from the unilateral, nationalist and alliance-wary foreign policy of Donald Trump. Now, as he is all set to re-elected for a new term, Guterres will need a “battle plan” for all the crisis across the globe.

Guterres's vision 

Back in March, Guterres had circulated his vision statement and earlier in May, laid out his case for a second term to the UN Member States during an informal interactive dialogue convened in the General Assembly Hall. In a statement, Guterres said that “restoring trust and inspiring hope” is imperative for the next five years. He said that mounting a massive and enduring response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences in the short-term, leaving no stone unturned in the search for peace and security, making peace with nature and climate action, turbocharging the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and advocating for a more equitable world among other issues are his top agendas. 

Guterres said, "As we emerge from the pandemic, the UN is more relevant than ever…We must act as a catalyst and a platform for more inclusive, networked and effective forms of multilateralism. Our direction of travel is clear on peace and security, climate action, sustainable development, human rights and the humanitarian imperative”.

He added, "Our power to transform the current situation into a better world and future for all depends on everyone everywhere and can only be done successfully if we are resolute and resolved to combine our efforts towards our common agenda for the benefit of humanity and the planet”. 

(With inputs from PTI)