Guterres lays out vision for second term as UN chief

REUTERS

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres laid out his vision for a second term as UN chief, calling for a “surge in diplomacy for peace,” urging the world’s nations to avoid a new type of Cold War, and stressing that in the 21st century everything from the climate crisis to nuclear proliferation and the pushback on human rights is inter-linked.

Guterres is the only candidate in the race so far, and he won support during a three-hour question-and-answer session in the 193-member General Assembly from two major groups — the 120-member Nonaligned Movement of mainly developing nations and the 27-member European Union — as well as smaller groups and individual countries, according to AP.

While the General Assembly elects the secretary-general, it is on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council where the five permanent members — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — have veto power. So their support is crucial.

Traditionally, candidates have been nominated by a UN member state, but that is not a requirement in the UN Charter or the resolution.

Guterres, whose current five-year term ends on Dec. 31, was nominated by Portugal, his home country. But this year has also seen seven individuals submit applications to be secretary-general without backing from any government including most recently former Ecuadorean president Rosalia Arteaga.