UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in on Monday as the ninth United Nations Secretary-General, pledging to personally help broker peace in various conflicts and reform the 71-year old world body to become more effective.

Guterres, 67, will replace Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea on Jan. 1. Ban steps down at the end of 2016 after two five-year terms. Guterres was Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.

“From the acute crises in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and elsewhere, to long-running disputes including the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, we need mediation, arbitration as well as creative diplomacy,” Guterres said.

“As part of my good offices I am ready to engage personally in conflict resolution where it brings added value,” he told the 193-member General Assembly.

Guterres beat out 12 other candidates, seven of whom were women, amid a push for the first woman to be elected. He said on Monday he aimed to have gender parity among senior U.N. leadership within his five year term.

Diplomats said Guterres is expected to shortly name Nigeria’s environment minister Amina Mohammed as his deputy secretary-general. He is also planning to appoint a woman as his chief of staff before the end of the year, diplomats said.

Before her appointment as environment minister a year ago, Mohammed was U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special adviser on post-2015 development planning - a role that culminated last year with the adoption by the General Assembly of sustainable development goals for the next 15 years.

Guterres is the first former head of government to be elected to run the world body and that experience will be reflected in how he operates, diplomats said.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (back L) and Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (L) watch as Secretary-General-designate Mr. Antonio Guterres of Portugal is sworn in by President of the UN General Assembly Peter Thomson (R) at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

“He’s looking for a big shake-up, reshuffle,” said a senior U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He’s looking to create ... a different feeling, with the under-secretary-generals much more part of a collective leadership of the U.N.”

“Having what he calls a cabinet, like when he was prime minister, his senior officials would come together every week and collectively they would have responsibility for the totality of the organization,” the diplomat said.

Diplomats were now watching to see who Guterres appoints to senior U.N. positions amid speculation by diplomats and U.N. officials that China would like one of its nationals to head peacekeeping and that Russia is keen to have a senior role.</s>Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres took the oath of office on Monday to be the ninth United Nations Secretary-General with his hand on a copy of the U.N. Charter in front of the 193-member General Assembly.

Guterres, 67, will replace Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea on Jan. 1. Ban steps down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms. Guterres was Portugal's prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.</s>UNITED NATIONS, United States: Antonio Guterres was sworn in on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) 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 and took the oath of office administered by the president of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson.

The 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.

“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,” he added.

The 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.

The UN’s 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.

“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.”

Guterres vowed to “engage personally” in conflict resolution, signaling 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.

The 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.

But Trump’s shock election has raised questions over Washington’s future role in the world and its relationship with the United Nations — as the world body’s biggest financial backer.

Fear driving decisions

 The new UN chief will begin work just weeks before Trump takes office on January 20.

“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.

Citizens 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.”

He pledged to show the new US administration a “clear will to cooperate in relation to the enormous challenges we will be facing together.”

Guterres laid out three priorities for change during his five-year term: work for peace, support sustainable development and improve internal UN management.

The 71-year-old United Nations has been criticized for its clunky bureaucracy, which has at times slowed down the response to global emergencies.

Guterres vowed to press ahead with gender parity at the United Nations, saying it was a priority to appoint more women to senior posts.

Among the appointments expected soon, Nigeria’s Environment Minister Amina Mohammed is tipped to become UN deputy secretary-general, diplomats say.

An engineer by training and a practicing Catholic, Guterres fought for migrants’ rights as UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015.

He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, anchoring his country to the European Union and working to raise living standards.

US Ambassador Samantha Power praised Guterres as “the man for the job in such challenging times.”</s>United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Incoming UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will take the oath of office on Monday, hoping to show he is primed for action despite anxiety over the US role in the world under unpredictable Donald Trump.

During a formal ceremony at the General Assembly, Guterres will be sworn in before outlining in an address to all 193 UN member-states his plans to confront global crises and reform the 71-year-old United Nations.

The first former head of government at the UN helm, Guterres will take over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1, just weeks before President-elect Trump moves into the White House.

The choice of the former refugee chief as the ninth secretary-general energized many diplomats who see Guterres as a skilled politician, able to overcome divisions that have crippled the United Nations, notably over Syria.

The 67-year-old former prime minister of Portugal has put ending the five-year carnage in Syria at the top of his to-do list and is keen to put forward a new plan to achieve a settlement, diplomats say.

Trump's election however is complicating that strategy.

"This is tough for Guterres," said Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "He enjoyed a wave of diplomatic goodwill at the UN and looked set for a straightforward transition."

"Now he will find it hard to propose big institutional reforms or float new political initiatives until the Trump team is settled in and made its intentions clear."

Trump's victory has put a question mark over the Paris climate deal championed by Ban during his 10 years at the UN helm and stirred unease over the prospect of a new-style diplomatic dealmaking from the White House that could sideline the United Nations.

- Getting the US on board -

Trump has not made any statements about his view of the United Nations or multilateralism since his election, but his choice of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as US ambassador was seen in some circles as a positive signal.

While Haley has no foreign policy experience, she has been a player in negotiating trade deals for her state and earned respect in foreign circles for taking a stand against racism by pulling the Confederate flag from the state capitol.

The key to getting the new Trump administration on board may lie in Guterres' plans for reforming the world body to "turn it into something the US can support," said a Security Council diplomat.

He will have to show that "he is shaking up the system enough in order to really make it effective, slimming it down in some places, realigning it in others, in a very pro-active way," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.

The United States is by far the biggest financial contributor, providing 22 percent of the UN's operating budget and funding 28 percent of peacekeeping missions which currently cost $8 billion annually.

Over the past months, Guterres has toured the capitals of the powerful five permanent Security Council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - for talks on his new tenure.

"He will be a political secretary-general," said a Security Council diplomat, who was briefed on Guterres' plans. "He plans to put saving lives - peace and security issues - definitely at the center."

Guterres may on Monday announce the appointment of the deputy secretary-general and of his chief of staff - two powerful posts in the new leadership team.

Nigeria's Environment Minister Amina Mohammed is tipped to be the UN's new number two while the chief of staff post is also expected to be filled by a woman, in line with Guterres' pledge to push gender equality at the United Nations.

Over the coming months, he will make a series of appointments to head the departments of peacekeeping, political affairs and management among others, with the five council powers pushing candidacies from their countries for the plum insider jobs.</s>Ban Ki-moon, left, hugs the new U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Guterres was sworn in at U.N. headquarters. | Photo Credit: AP

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the ninth U.N. chief in the body’s 71-year history.

The former U.N. refugee chief was elected to the top job by acclamation in the General Assembly in October. He will take over duties from Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1.

Guterres, 67, performed well in answering questions before assembly members and his executive experience as prime minister and as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005-2015 propelled him to first place among 13 candidates vying for the job in informal polls in the Security Council. After the sixth poll, the council nominated him by acclamation and his name was sent to the assembly for final approval.

After being sworn in by General Assembly President John William Ashe, Guterres addressed the 193 member nations, saying the world body must work to simplify, decentralise and make more flexible its sprawling bureaucracy.

“It benefits no one if takes nine months to deploy a staff member to the field,” he said. “The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient and effective. It must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy.”

The swearing-in came after the 193 General Assembly members paid tribute to Ban, ending with a standing ovation for the native South Korean.

The swearing-in ceremony included the U.N.’s top leaders and was attended by dignitaries including Myanmar politician and Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power lauded Ban’s accomplishments while in office and said she was confident Guterres is the right person to replace him. “He is the man for the job in such challenging times,” she said.

The selection of a new secretary-general had traditionally been decided behind closed doors by a few powerful countries. But this year, the process involved public discussions with each candidate who was campaigning for the job.

U.N. chiefs are charged with promoting sustainable development, working for peace around the globe, protecting human rights and dealing with humanitarian catastrophes.</s>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres has been sworn in as Secretary-General of the United Nations, taking over from Ban Ki-moon at the end of the month.

The former U.N. refugee chief was elected by acclamation in the General Assembly in October and takes over from Ban on Jan. 1.

The 67-year-old Guterres becomes the ninth U.N. chief in the world body’s 71-year history.

Guterres performed well in answering questions before the General Assembly while campaigning for the job. His executive experience as prime minister and as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005-2015 propelled him to first place among the 13 candidates vying for the job in informal polls in the Security Council.

Monday’s swearing-in came after the 193 members paid tribute to Ban.</s>UNITED NATIONS: Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as secretary-general of the United Nations, becoming the ninth U.N. chief in the body's 71-year history.

The former U.N. refugee chief was elected to the top job by acclamation in the General Assembly in October. He takes over from Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1.

Guterres, 67, performed well in answering questions before assembly members and his executive experience as prime minister and as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in 2005-2015 propelled him to first place among 13 candidates vying for the job in informal polls in the Security Council. After the sixth poll, the council nominated him by acclamation and his name was sent to the assembly for final approval.

After being sworn in by General Assembly President Peter Thomson, Guterres addressed the 193 member nations, saying the U.N. must work to simplify, decentralize and make more flexible its sprawling bureaucracy.

"It benefits no one if it takes nine months to deploy a staff member to the field," he said. "The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient and effective. It must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy."

Guterres also said he would send a clear signal that gender parity "from top to bottom" within the organization would be among his first priorities. The swearing-in came after the General Assembly paid tribute to Ban, ending with a standing ovation for the South Korean. Guterres' swearing-in ceremony included the U.N.'s top leaders and was attended by dignitaries.

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power lauded Ban's accomplishments while in office and said she was confident Guterres is the right person to replace him. "He is the man for the job in such challenging times," she said.

Louis Charbonneau, the U.N. director at Human Rights Watch, said rights abuses are abundant around the globe, not just in war zones like Syria. He said Guterres should use his position and authority to "call out rights abuses wherever they occur."

The selection of a new secretary-general had traditionally been decided behind closed doors by a few powerful countries. But this year, the process involved public discussions with each candidate who was campaigning for the job.

U.N. chiefs are charged with promoting sustainable development, working for peace around the globe, protecting human rights and dealing with humanitarian catastrophes. Ban served two 5-year terms.</s>United Nations Secretary-General-designate Mr. Antonio Guterres of Portugal speaks to members of the media after being sworn in at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., on Monday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Asserting that the U.N. must focus more on delivery and less on process, newly-sworn in UN chief Antonio Guterres has pledged to “engage personally” in helping resolve long-standing disputes and reforming the 71- year-old world body to meet the current global challenges.

Mr. Guterres, Portugal’s Prime Minister from 1995 to 2002 and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015, became the ninth U.N. Secretary-General after he was administered the oath of office by General Assembly President Peter Thomson here on Monday in a special session of the 193-member world body.

Mr. Guterres succeeds Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who steps down at the end of this month after leading the global organisation for the past 10 years. He was elected to the top job in October and takes over from Mr. Ban on January 1.

Giving a clarion call that the U.N. “must be ready to change,” Mr. Guterres pledged to reposition development at the centre of the organisation’s work and ensure that the U.N. can change to effectively meet the myriad challenges facing the international community.

“The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient and effective. It must focus more on delivery and less on process; more on people and less on bureaucracy...The scale of the challenges we face requires us to work together on a deep and continued process of UN reform,” Mr. Guterres said after taking the oath of office.

He said globalisation and technological progress have also contributed to growing inequalities, countries are battling youth unemployment and globalisation has also broadened the reach of organised crime and trafficking, deepening the divide between people and political establishments.

“In some countries, we have seen growing instability, social unrest —— even violence and conflict. A little bit everywhere, voters now tend to reject the status quo, and whatever government proposal is put to a referendum. Many have lost confidence not only in their governments, but in global institutions —— including the United Nations,” he said.

Mr. Guterres said, in the current global enviorment, fear is driving the decisions of many people around the world.

“We must understand their anxieties and meet their needs, without losing sight of our universal values. It is time to reconstruct relations between people and leaders —— national and international; time for leaders to listen and show that they care, about their own people and about the global stability and solidarity on which we all depend. And it is time for the United Nations to do the same: to recognise its shortcomings and to reform the way it works,” he said.

“This organisation is the cornerstone of multilateralism, and has contributed to decades of relative peace. But, the challenges are now surpassing our ability to respond. The United Nations must be ready to change,” he said.

Mr. Guterres also vowed to use his good offices to help mediate in long-standing disputes between nations.</s>Accra, Dec. 13, GNA - Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, has been sworn in as the 9th United Nations Secretary-General at the UN headquarters in New York.

This was after he had taken the Oath of Office for his five year term, which begins on January 1, 2017.

President of the UN General Assembly Peter Thompson administered the Oath during the 71st session of the Assembly in front of the 193-member states.

A statement available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the 67 year old Secretary-General-designate will take over from 72 year old. Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea, whose ten-year tenure will expire at the end of this month.

Mr. Guterres, a former UN High Commissioner for Refugees paid tribute to Mr. Ban Ki Moon for his commitment to peace and security and for helping to chart the future of the UN - through the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The former UN High Commissioner for Refugees appointed by the General Assembly on 13 October this year noted that the three strategic priorities for the UN that is working for peace; supporting sustainable development; and reforming its internal management and pledged to personally help broker peace in various conflicts.

'In the end, it comes down to values, as was said so many times today. We want the world our children inherit to be defined by the values enshrined in the UN Charter: peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity,' he stated.

The Secretary-General-designate criticised the UN system for not doing enough to prevent and respond to the appalling crimes of sexual violence and exploitation committed under the UN flag against those we are supposed to protect and promised to do more to prevent and respond all forms of sexual exploitation.

On the issue of gender parity and their appointments to senior management positions, he promised that 'By the end of my mandate, we should reach full gender parity at the Under-Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General levels, including special representatives and special envoys.'

Furthermore, Mr. Guterres indicated that he will engage in a comprehensive reform of the UN development system - both at headquarters and at country levels.

The Secretary-General-designate pointed out that the UN, which is tasked with peacekeeping in places where there is no peace to keep, needed to have a greater conceptual clarity and a shared understanding of the scope of peacekeeping in order to pave the way for urgent reforms.

'The threats to these values are most often based on fear. Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other.'

'In his remarks, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon said it had been an honour and privilege for him to serve the UN and work together with the Member states and alongside the many courageous, dedicated and talented men and women of the UN.

He was happy to have seen the UN open its doors wider than ever to civil societies and many partners to help transform the world, stressing that 'the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change have opened a pathway to a safer, more just and peaceful world for all of us'.

Maintaining that he sought to stand up for the vulnerable and those left behind, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon said 'and I have tried to be sure that we are doing all we can so that future generations can live in peace' .

He was confident that the in-coming Secretary General Guterres had the passion and compassion to successfully navigate the many complex challenges and steer the organization to new and higher heights.

The out-going Secretary General also expressed gratitude for the many tributes to him.
Former Prime Minister of Portugal António Guterres is sworn in as the new United Nations Secretary General.