International Law in Brief
UN General Assembly Selects António Guterres as New Secretary-General (October 13, 2016)
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By: Eric A. Heath | October 21, 2016 - 2:57pm
On October 13, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly appointed António Guterres of Portugal as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. According to the press release, these were “[t]he first-ever public hearings on the selection of a Secretary-General opened the process to the world.” Various officials, including current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, lauded the process and the credentials of Guterres, who most recently served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Prime Minster of Portugal before that. The United Nations Security Council had previously made their recommendation under Resolution 2311. Mr. Guterres’ five-year term will begin January 1, 2017.