Antonio Guterres has been sworn in as the United Nations’ new Secretary-General.
Guterres took the oath of office during a formal ceremony at the General Assembly.
The former prime minister of Portugal pledged to “exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience” his duties as UN chief when he takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1.
The 67-year-old Guterres becomes the ninth UN chief in the world body’s 71-year history.
He performed well in answering questions before the General Assembly while campaigning for the job.
His executive experience as prime minister and as the UN 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 his predecessor Ban Ki-moon.
