UN General Assembly today appointed by acclamation the former prime minister of Portugal, Antonio Guterres, as the next United Nations secretary general, succeeding Ban Ki-moon when he steps down on December 31.

    Guterres, aged 67, was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. He will become the world's top diplomat on January 1, 2017, and hold that post for a five-year term.

    Adopting a consensus resolution put forward by its President, Peter Thomson, the UN General Assembly acted on the recommendation on the U.N. Security Council, which on October 6, forwarded Guterres' name to the 193-member body as its nominee for the secretary general post.

Source: QNA