Often he would choose someone cautious – Critics say they are too shy – Way. Portugal’s Antonio Guterres will head the United Nations for another five years.
and portuguese Antonio Guterres He will lead the United Nations for another five years. As expected, the United Nations General Assembly called the 72-year-old for a second term on Friday. A decision was passed unanimously. Guterres ran unopposed and with the support of the powerful Security Council.
In addition to several regional conflicts – including in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Myanmar – one of the biggest future challenges for Guterres is combating the climate crisis. The UN Secretary-General recently painted a picture of a world on the brink and urged major carbon dioxide producers to do more. The economic and social turmoil as well as poverty and hunger caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to play a role for some time to come. In addition, the ability of the United Nations to operate threatens to be further weakened by the heightened tensions between the United States and China.
At the top since 2017
The new mandate of the Secretary-General of the United Nations begins on January 1, 2022 and runs until the end of 2026. Guterres is the ninth Secretary-General and has led the world organization since 2017. His new formation has always been considered secure: Guterres has had a good influence in recent years in dealing with Influential veto powers the United States, China, Russia, Great Britain and France.
Guterres is a skilled politician, but a cautious – say critics is too timid – a mediator in international conflicts in which he has rarely had greater success. According to experts, this is also due to the fact that Guterres has been in the past five years in the face of the attacks of the US president. Donald Trump Against the United Nations “fighting for survival”.
wary about china
The UN Secretary-General has also been repeatedly accused of not criticizing China enough for human rights abuses such as the Uyghur minority. However, Guterres managed to draw attention to himself by focusing on more global topics such as combating the climate crisis and his work on the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are many indications that the UN Secretary-General will not be more investigative in the future either: he recently stressed that complex challenges can only be dealt with with a “modest approach”. Also, the United Nations can do little if “relations between great powers remain ineffective.”