UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gets reinstated for a second term

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, was inducted in for a second term on Friday, who pledged to learn from the learnings of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.

The former Portuguese Prime Minister, who was the only candidate for the UN Chief position, after being re-elected said he was "humbled and energised" by the support. He also said that the "driving theme" of his second term will be "prevention in all its aspects – from conflicts, climate change, pandemics to poverty and inequality."

Earlier this month, the Security Council had suggested that Guterres be reappointed by the General Assembly. His second term will begin on January 1, 2022.

Ambassadors erupted in applause when Assembly President Volkan Bozkir confirmed Guterres' re-election by "acclamation," or without a vote.

During the swearing-in event, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, became the first head of state to step foot in the United Nations headquarters in more than a year due to the pandemic, in whose presence Guterres committed that he would work independently of member states and organisations, in his second stint.

Guterres said,” Our greatest challenge and 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.”

He also emphasized on the fact that a “green and sustainable recovery" is what should be promoted in order to address global challenges, more and effective international collaboration is required.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among those who congratulated Guterres on his re-election.

Blinken expressed that his country hoped to maintain "our strong and constructive relationship" with the secretary-general.

Merkel commended Guterres' dedication to peaceful conflict resolution, climate protection, and "innovative solutions to global problems" during his first term and thanked him for his assistance in establishing the COVAX facility to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to poorer countries.

Guterres served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and as the UN Chief of the United Nations Refugee Agency from 2005 to 2015. He has advocated for climate action, COVID-19 vaccinations for all, and digital collaboration as Secretary-General.