António Guterres is quietly readying to lead the United Nations as its new secretary-general, a post he will formally be sworn into in mid-December.
The transition from one U.N. chief to another, following Ban Ki-moon’s two, five-year terms, is complicated. There are the bureaucratic, hiring matters to consider, and then also the expansive crises and conflicts — Syria, Yemen, the U.N.’s responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti, sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers — that will land on Guterres’ desk the first day he assumes office on Jan. 1, 2017.
Yet the switch over is well-underway, without any of the commotion that has characterized the office transition of another recently selected high-profile politician: Donald Trump. Guterres, the former chief of the U.N. refugee agency and prime minister of Portugal, is already spending most of his time in New York, hunkering down for long meetings, policy briefings and work lunches, said Melissa Fleming, Guterres’ spokeswoman and a senior adviser for his transition team.
Read more stories on the new U.N. secretary-general:
► Secretary-General Guterres will 'insist' on gender parity for senior UN positions
► UN Security Council selects António Guterres as next secretary-general
► The next UN secretary-general: A candidate vision cheat sheet
► DevExplains: How does the UN secretary-general election work?
About the author
Amy Liebermanamylieberman
Amy Lieberman is the U.N. Correspondent for Devex. She covers the United Nations and reports on global development and politics. Amy previously worked as a freelance reporter, covering the environment, human rights, immigration, and health across the U.S. and in more than 10 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, and Cambodia. Her coverage has appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. A native New Yorker, Amy received her master’s degree in politics and government from Columbia’s School of Journalism.
