Secretary-General of the UN

António Guterres is the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving since January 1, 2017. A Portuguese statesman and diplomat, he was born on April 30, 1949, in Lisbon. Before leading the UN, he was Prime Minister of Portugal (1995–2002) and later served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2005–2015), where he gained global recognition for his leadership during some of the world’s most severe refugee crises.

As Secretary-General, Guterres has championed multilateralism, climate action, digital cooperation, and conflict prevention. He’s pushed the UN to modernize and adapt, including through initiatives like UN80, aimed at streamlining bureaucracy and making the UN more effective. Known for his pragmatic, humanitarian approach, Guterres consistently urges global cooperation in tackling challenges like war, poverty, climate change, and inequality.