New York: UN General Assembly on Friday appointed Antonio Guterres as the UN Secretary General for a second term beginning January 1, 2022, days after the powerful Security Council unanimously recommended his name to the 193-member body for re-election.
President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir announced that Guterres has been appointed by acclamation as the Secretary General of the United Nations for the second term of office beginning on January 1, 2022 and ending on December 31, 2026 Bozkir then administered the oath of office to 72-year-old Guterres at the podium of the UN General Assembly Hall.
On June 8, the 15-nation Council had held a closed meeting where it adopted by acclamation the resolution that recommended Guterres’ name to the 193-member General Assembly for a second five-year term as Secretary General from January 1, 2022-December 31, 2026.
Estonia’s Ambassador to the UN Sven Jurgenson, President of the Council for the month of June, had told reporters after the meeting: “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,” Jurgenson said.
India had expressed its support for re-election of Guterres as UN Chief and welcomed the adoption of the resolution recommending his name.