UNITED NATIONS : Atonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, saying the world body must change to better confront global crises such as the war in Syria.
\nDuring a solemn ceremony at the General Assembly, the former prime minister of Portugal placed a hand on the UN charter and took the oath of office administered by the president of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson.
\nThe first former head of government at the UN helm, Guterres takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 amid ongoing bloodshed in Syria and questions over how the US role in the world chould shift under President-elect Donald Trump.
\n“This organization is the cornerstone of multilateralism, and has contributed to decades of relative peace, but the challenges are now surpassing our ability to respond,” Guterres said in an address. “The UN must be ready to change.”
\nThe 67-year-old socialist politician said the United Nations must “recognize its shortcomings and reform the way it works,” singling out the failure to prevent crisis as a serious weakness.
\nThe UN\u2019s refugee chief for a decade, Guterres was sworn in as Syrian forces were on the verge of retaking the entire city of Aleppo — a potential turning point in the nearly six-year war.
\n“This is a war in which everybody is losing. This became a threat for everybody around the world,” Guterres later told journalists. “It is high time to put an end to this nonsense.”
\nGuterres vowed to “engage personally” in conflict resolution, signalling a more pro-active approach to the role of secretary-general than under the 72-year-old Ban, the South Korean who led the world body for two five-year terms.
\nThe election of Guterres has energized UN diplomats who see him as a skilled politician, able to overcome divisions that have crippled the United Nations, notably over Syria.
\nBut Trump\u2019s shock election has raised questions over Washington\u2019s future role in the world and its relationship with the United Nations — as the world body\u2019s biggest financial backer.
\nThe new UN chief will begin work just weeks before Trump takes office on January 20.
\n“Fear is driving the decisions of many people around the world,” Guterres said, in a reference to the surge of populism that propelled Trump to the White House.
\nCitizens worldwide are losing confidence in their governments and in global institutions, he said, adding that it was “time to reconstruct relations between people and leaders.”
\nHe pledged to show the new US administration a “clear will to cooperate in relation to the enormous challenges we will be facing together.”
\nGuterres laid out three priorities for change during his five-year term: work for peace, support sustainable development and improve internal UN management.
\nThe 71-year-old United Nations has been criticized for its clunky bureaucracy, which has at times slowed down the response to global emergencies.
\nGuterres vowed to press ahead with gender parity at the United Nations, saying it was a priority to appoint more women to senior posts.
\nAmong the appointments expected soon, Nigeria\u2019s Environment Minister Amina Mohammed is tipped to become UN deputy secretary-general, diplomats say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS : Atonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, saying the world body must change to better confront global crises such as the war in Syria. During a solemn ceremony at the General Assembly, the former prime minister of Portugal placed a hand on the UN charter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7891","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n