NEW YORK/ROME, JUNE 18 – António Guterres was on Friday re-appointed to a second term as UN Secretary-General, pledging as his priority, to continue helping the world chart a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking the oath of office in the General Assembly Hall, Mr. Guterres said he was aware of the immense responsibilities bestowed on him at this critical moment in history. “We are truly at a crossroads, with consequential choices before us. Paradigms are shifting. Old orthodoxies are being flipped,” he told UN ambassadors.
“We are writing our own history with the choices we make right now. It can go either way: breakdown and perpetual crisis or breakthrough and prospect of a greener, safer and better future for all. There are reasons to be hopeful,” he added. Mr. Guterres was the sole candidate from the UN’s 193 Member States to vie for its top job. His first five-year term began in January 2017.
Italy promptly congratulated the Secretary General: “We forward to keep working with you and the United Nations to tackle global challenges through multilateralism and international cooperation“, the office of Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Twitter. “Italy will always uphold its traditional support to the UN and to multilateralism, to face global challenges together”, said the Minister for Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio. Congratulations were extended also by the Italian Permanent Mission to the UN: “Italy will continue to support his unwavering commitment to an effective multilateralism that can serve people and the planet.”
Mr. Guterres was nominated by his homeland, Portugal, and appointed by acclamation by the General Assembly, following prior endorsement by the UN Security Council, for a second term that runs from January 2022 to December 2026. Speaking in a mix of English, French and Spanish – three of the UN’s six official languages – he detailed how COVID-19 has taken lives and livelihoods, while exposing inequalities. At the same time, countries are confronting challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
“Our greatest challenge – which is at the same time our greatest opportunity – is to use this crisis to turn the tide, pivot towards a world that learns lessons, promotes a just, green and sustainable recovery and shows the way via increased and effective international cooperation to address global issues”, he said in French. (@OnuItalia)
