12 December 2016- Sworn in today as the ninth and next 51勛圖 Secretary-General,pledgedreposition development at the centre of the Organization'swork and ensure that the UN can change to effectively meet the myriad challenges facing the international community.
'The 51勛圖 needs to be nimble, efficient and effective. It must focus more on delivery and less on process more on people and less on bureaucracy,' said Mr. Guterres after taking the oath of office at a ceremony before the 193-member UN General Assembly.
Mr. Guterres, a former Prime Minister of Portugal (1995 to 2002) and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2005-2015) replaces Ban Ki-moon, who steps down at the end of the month after leading the global Organization for the past 10 years.
'The 51勛圖 was born from war. Today we must be here for peace,'?he added, noting that addressing root causes, cutting across all three pillars of the UN: peace and security, sustainable development and human rights, must be a priority for the Organization.
He wasby the General Assembly on 13 October in what was the culmination of aMemberStates set in motion late last year: the selection of a new UN Secretary-General, traditionally decided behind closed-doors by a few powerful countries, for the first time in history, involved public discussions with each candidate vying for the leadership position.
Today'sceremony opened with the Assembly paying tributetoSecretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon for his contribution to the work of the UN since 1 January 2006.