Background
Guterres was born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, the son of Virgílio Dias Guterres (1913–2009) and his wife Ilda Cândida de Oliveira (born 1923).
2019
New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to media after meeting with climate and environmental change youth leaders and Climate Change Minister James Shaw at Auckland War Memorial Museum on May 13, 2019, in New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Fiona Goodall)
Praça José Fontana, 1050-129 Lisboa, Portugal
António Guterres was educated at the Camões Lyceum (now Camões Secondary School) where he graduated in 1965, winning the National Lyceums Award (Prémio Nacional dos Liceus) as the best student in the country.
Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
António Guterres studied Physics and Electrical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
1996
Guterres and Prime Minister of Spain Felipe González, in January 1996.
2014
Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres meets German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Federal Foreign Ministry on July 03, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.
2014
Berlin, Germany
German Development Minister Gerd Mueller and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres shake hands before their meeting over refugees, on July 03, 2014, in Berlin, Germany.
2014
1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128, United States
Antonio Guterres attends the 2014 Social Good Summit at 92Y on September 21, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill)
2016
2201 C St NW, Washington, DC 20520, United States
Secretary of State John Kerry welcomes United Nations Secretary General-designate Antonio Guterres before a meeting at the Department of State, on November 4, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson)
2016
Beijing, China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General-designate Antonio Guterres after a joint press conference at the foreign ministry on November 28, 2016. in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang)
2016
New York, NY, 10017, United States
Antonio Guterres and outgoing secretary-general Ban Ki-moon stand for a photo opportunity at the United Nations (UN) headquarters on October 13, 2016, in New York City. Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, will replace outgoing secretary-general Ban Ki-moon starting in January 2017. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2016
Lisbon, Portugal
Antonio Guterres delivers his first statement to the press on October 6, 2016, in Lisbon, Portugal. Guterres thanked for the unanimous vote in his favor and said he felt both "gratitude and humility" by the appointment.
2016
Lisbon, Portuga
Newly appointed United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres gestures during a press conference in Lisbon, Portugal on October 6, 2016. (Photo by Rodrigo Cabrita)
2017
New York City, New York, United States
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations Security Council open debate on "Trafficking in persons in conflict situations: forced labour, slavery and other similar practices", New York City, New York, March 15, 2017.
2017
New York, NY, 10017, United States
António Guterres (L) and Amal Clooney arrive at United Nations Headquarters on March 10, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola
2017
New York, NY, 10017, United States
Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, September 19, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2017
New York, NY, 10017, United States
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers remarks to the press at the United Nations Headquarters on December 6, 2017, in New York City. The Secretary-General addressed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on Jerusalem. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2017
New York City, New York, United States
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai (L) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) are seen during a ceremony after she was received UN Peace Envoy in New York, United States on April 10, 2017. (Photo by Volkan Furuncu)
2017
Taormina, Italy
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (L) welcomes United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) prior to the ''Innovation and Development in Africa'' session on the second day of the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in Taormina, Italy on May 27, 2017. (Photo by Mehmet Ali Ozcan)
2017
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (R) shakes hands with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) during their meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on June 12, 2017.
2017
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (left 4), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (left 6), UN special envoy on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide (L), Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (right 3), Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades (left 5) and Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci (right 4) pose for family photo on the third day of the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on June 30, 2017. (Photo by Cem Ozdel)
2018
Renda Huitang W Rd, Xicheng, China, 100031
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) at the Great Hall of the People on September 3, 2018, in Beijing, China.
2018
Lisbon, Portugal
Antonio Guterres (L) is greeted by Abdoul Vakil (R), president of the Islamic Community of Lisbon when arriving in the city's Central Mosque to attend the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Islamic community of Lisbon on March 15, 2018, in Lisbon, Portugal.
2018
Cra. 8 ## 7 - 26, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (R) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) hold a joint press conference after their meeting at Casa de Narino in Bogota, Colombia on January 13, 2018. (Photo by Lokman Ilhan)
2018
New York, NY, 10017, United States
The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets President of Republic of Benin Patrice Athanase Guillaume Talon at United Nations Headquarters. (Photo by Lev Radin)
2018
Rimbo, Sweden
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C), UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths (2nd R) and Foreign Minister of Sweden Margot Wallstrom (2nd L) attend a press conference during the closing session of Yemen peace talks in Rimbo town of Stockholm, Sweden, on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Atila Altuntas)
2018
55 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres leaves the Elysee Palace after the international ceremony for the Centenary of the WWI Armistice of 11 November 1918, in Paris, France on November 11, 2018. (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin)
2019
New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) receives gifts including beeswax wraps made by Tiaki Freeman of St Patricks College (R) as he arrives to meet with climate and environmental change youth leaders chaired by climate change minister James Shaw on May 13, 2019, in Various Cities, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Fiona Goodall)
2019
Biarritz, France
G7 leaders and guests pose for a family picture with the Biarritz lighthouse in the background on the second day of the annual G7 summit: (First row) L-R Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, African Union Chair Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Japanese Prime Minister's wife Akie Abe, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, French President's wife Brigitte Macron, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Senegal's President Macky Sall, Burkina Faso's President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera, his wife Cecilia Morel, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, EU Council President's wife Malgorzata Tusk, European Council President Donald Tusk. (Second row) Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat (2nd,L), Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (5th, L) his wife Jenny Morrison, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (7th,R), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (6th,R), Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (4th,R), Spanish Prime Minister's wife Begona Sanchez (3rd,R), OECD Secretary-General Jose Angel Gurria (2nd,R), African Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina (R) on August 25, 2019 in Biarritz, France. (Photo by Andrew Parsons )
2019
New York City, New York, United States
The President of Iran Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations on September 25, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2019
14 Glenfell Pl, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres receives a hongi from a Maori warrior at Government House on May 12, 2019, in Auckland, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Hannah Peters)
2019
New York, NY, 10017, United States
(L-R) United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (R) applaud after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke during a meeting on religious freedom at U.N. headquarters on September 23, 2019, in New York City. While hundreds of world leaders gather for the climate summit during the U.N. General Assembly, President Trump chose to skip the event in favor of his own meeting on religious freedom and persecution.
2019
Markt, 52062 Aachen, Germany
António Guterres (Secretary-General of the United Nations) with his International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen at the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen 2019 (Internationale Karlspreis zu Aachen), awarded to Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres on May 30, 2019, at Coronation Hall of the Aachen City Hall in Aachen, Germany. (Photo by Florian Ebener)
2019
14 Glenfell Pl, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Government House on May 12, 2019, in Auckland, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Hannah Peters)
2019
223A Linwood Ave, Linwood, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
Antonio Guterres lays a floral tribute to those who were killed at the March 15 mosque terror attacks at the Linwood Islamic Centre on May 14, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General speaks next to the youth climate activists at the event, (L-R) Komal Karishma Kumar, Wanjuhi Njoroge, Greta Thunberg and Bruno Rodriguez at the first-ever United Nations Youth Climate Summit on September 21, 2019, in New York City. The Youth Climate Summit is intended to bring together young activists who are committed to combating climate change at the pace and scale needed to meet the challenge. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2019
New York, United States
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres (C) visits the Islamic Cultural Center to address against Islamophobia and to give his condolences to Muslim communities in New York City for victims who lost their lives during twin terror attacks in New Zealand mosques, in New York, United States on March 22, 2019. (Photo by Atilgan Ozdil)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres (C) visits the Islamic Cultural Center to address against Islamophobia and to give his condolences to Muslim communities in New York City for victims who lost their lives during twin terror attacks in New Zealand mosques, in New York, United States on March 22, 2019. (Photo by Atilgan Ozdil)
2019
Tunis, Tunisia
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) and U.N. Special Envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame (L) attend the Arab summit in Tunis, Tunisia on March 30, 2019. (Photo by Yassine Gaidi)
1996
Guterres and Prime Minister of Spain Felipe González, in January 1996.
2014
Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres meets German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Federal Foreign Ministry on July 03, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.
2014
Berlin, Germany
German Development Minister Gerd Mueller and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres shake hands before their meeting over refugees, on July 03, 2014, in Berlin, Germany.
2014
1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128, United States
Antonio Guterres attends the 2014 Social Good Summit at 92Y on September 21, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill)
2016
2201 C St NW, Washington, DC 20520, United States
Secretary of State John Kerry welcomes United Nations Secretary General-designate Antonio Guterres before a meeting at the Department of State, on November 4, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson)
2016
Beijing, China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General-designate Antonio Guterres after a joint press conference at the foreign ministry on November 28, 2016. in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang)
2016
New York, NY, 10017, United States
Antonio Guterres and outgoing secretary-general Ban Ki-moon stand for a photo opportunity at the United Nations (UN) headquarters on October 13, 2016, in New York City. Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, will replace outgoing secretary-general Ban Ki-moon starting in January 2017. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2016
Lisbon, Portugal
Antonio Guterres delivers his first statement to the press on October 6, 2016, in Lisbon, Portugal. Guterres thanked for the unanimous vote in his favor and said he felt both "gratitude and humility" by the appointment.
2016
Lisbon, Portuga
Newly appointed United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres gestures during a press conference in Lisbon, Portugal on October 6, 2016. (Photo by Rodrigo Cabrita)
2017
New York City, New York, United States
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations Security Council open debate on "Trafficking in persons in conflict situations: forced labour, slavery and other similar practices", New York City, New York, March 15, 2017.
2017
New York, NY, 10017, United States
António Guterres (L) and Amal Clooney arrive at United Nations Headquarters on March 10, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola
2017
New York, NY, 10017, United States
Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, September 19, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2017
New York, NY, 10017, United States
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers remarks to the press at the United Nations Headquarters on December 6, 2017, in New York City. The Secretary-General addressed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on Jerusalem. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2017
New York City, New York, United States
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai (L) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) are seen during a ceremony after she was received UN Peace Envoy in New York, United States on April 10, 2017. (Photo by Volkan Furuncu)
2017
Taormina, Italy
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (L) welcomes United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) prior to the ''Innovation and Development in Africa'' session on the second day of the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in Taormina, Italy on May 27, 2017. (Photo by Mehmet Ali Ozcan)
2017
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (R) shakes hands with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) during their meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on June 12, 2017.
2017
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (left 4), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (left 6), UN special envoy on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide (L), Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (right 3), Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades (left 5) and Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci (right 4) pose for family photo on the third day of the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on June 30, 2017. (Photo by Cem Ozdel)
2018
Renda Huitang W Rd, Xicheng, China, 100031
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) at the Great Hall of the People on September 3, 2018, in Beijing, China.
2018
Lisbon, Portugal
Antonio Guterres (L) is greeted by Abdoul Vakil (R), president of the Islamic Community of Lisbon when arriving in the city's Central Mosque to attend the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Islamic community of Lisbon on March 15, 2018, in Lisbon, Portugal.
2018
Cra. 8 ## 7 - 26, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (R) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) hold a joint press conference after their meeting at Casa de Narino in Bogota, Colombia on January 13, 2018. (Photo by Lokman Ilhan)
2018
New York, NY, 10017, United States
The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets President of Republic of Benin Patrice Athanase Guillaume Talon at United Nations Headquarters. (Photo by Lev Radin)
2018
Rimbo, Sweden
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C), UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths (2nd R) and Foreign Minister of Sweden Margot Wallstrom (2nd L) attend a press conference during the closing session of Yemen peace talks in Rimbo town of Stockholm, Sweden, on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Atila Altuntas)
2018
55 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres leaves the Elysee Palace after the international ceremony for the Centenary of the WWI Armistice of 11 November 1918, in Paris, France on November 11, 2018. (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin)
2019
New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) receives gifts including beeswax wraps made by Tiaki Freeman of St Patricks College (R) as he arrives to meet with climate and environmental change youth leaders chaired by climate change minister James Shaw on May 13, 2019, in Various Cities, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Fiona Goodall)
2019
Biarritz, France
G7 leaders and guests pose for a family picture with the Biarritz lighthouse in the background on the second day of the annual G7 summit: (First row) L-R Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, African Union Chair Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Japanese Prime Minister's wife Akie Abe, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, French President's wife Brigitte Macron, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Senegal's President Macky Sall, Burkina Faso's President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera, his wife Cecilia Morel, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, EU Council President's wife Malgorzata Tusk, European Council President Donald Tusk. (Second row) Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat (2nd,L), Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (5th, L) his wife Jenny Morrison, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (7th,R), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (6th,R), Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (4th,R), Spanish Prime Minister's wife Begona Sanchez (3rd,R), OECD Secretary-General Jose Angel Gurria (2nd,R), African Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina (R) on August 25, 2019 in Biarritz, France. (Photo by Andrew Parsons )
2019
New York City, New York, United States
The President of Iran Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations on September 25, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2019
14 Glenfell Pl, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres receives a hongi from a Maori warrior at Government House on May 12, 2019, in Auckland, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Hannah Peters)
2019
New York, NY, 10017, United States
(L-R) United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (R) applaud after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke during a meeting on religious freedom at U.N. headquarters on September 23, 2019, in New York City. While hundreds of world leaders gather for the climate summit during the U.N. General Assembly, President Trump chose to skip the event in favor of his own meeting on religious freedom and persecution.
2019
Markt, 52062 Aachen, Germany
António Guterres (Secretary-General of the United Nations) with his International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen at the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen 2019 (Internationale Karlspreis zu Aachen), awarded to Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres on May 30, 2019, at Coronation Hall of the Aachen City Hall in Aachen, Germany. (Photo by Florian Ebener)
2019
14 Glenfell Pl, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Government House on May 12, 2019, in Auckland, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Hannah Peters)
2019
223A Linwood Ave, Linwood, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
Antonio Guterres lays a floral tribute to those who were killed at the March 15 mosque terror attacks at the Linwood Islamic Centre on May 14, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The two-day visit to New Zealand is part of a broader visit to the Pacific region and is Guterres' first visit as UN Secretary-General. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General speaks next to the youth climate activists at the event, (L-R) Komal Karishma Kumar, Wanjuhi Njoroge, Greta Thunberg and Bruno Rodriguez at the first-ever United Nations Youth Climate Summit on September 21, 2019, in New York City. The Youth Climate Summit is intended to bring together young activists who are committed to combating climate change at the pace and scale needed to meet the challenge. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2019
New York, United States
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres (C) visits the Islamic Cultural Center to address against Islamophobia and to give his condolences to Muslim communities in New York City for victims who lost their lives during twin terror attacks in New Zealand mosques, in New York, United States on March 22, 2019. (Photo by Atilgan Ozdil)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres (C) visits the Islamic Cultural Center to address against Islamophobia and to give his condolences to Muslim communities in New York City for victims who lost their lives during twin terror attacks in New Zealand mosques, in New York, United States on March 22, 2019. (Photo by Atilgan Ozdil)
2019
Tunis, Tunisia
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) and U.N. Special Envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame (L) attend the Arab summit in Tunis, Tunisia on March 30, 2019. (Photo by Yassine Gaidi)
Praça José Fontana, 1050-129 Lisboa, Portugal
António Guterres was educated at the Camões Lyceum (now Camões Secondary School) where he graduated in 1965, winning the National Lyceums Award (Prémio Nacional dos Liceus) as the best student in the country.
Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
António Guterres studied Physics and Electrical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
Guterres was born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, the son of Virgílio Dias Guterres (1913–2009) and his wife Ilda Cândida de Oliveira (born 1923).
António Guterres was educated at the Camões Lyceum (now Camões Secondary School) where he graduated in 1965, winning the National Lyceums Award (Prémio Nacional dos Liceus) as the best student in the country. He studied Physics and Electrical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
During his college days, Guterres witnessed the decline of António de Oliveira Salazar’s dictatorship. Subsequently, he took part in protests that eventually ended Salazar’s successor, Marcello Caetano’s reign, in 1974.
After graduating, Guterres worked as a physics instructor, but, as Portugal began its transition to democracy, he became more active in politics. He joined the Socialist Party in 1974, and two years later he was elected to the Portuguese parliament. Over the next two decades, he served on a variety of parliamentary committees, and, from 1981 to 1983, he was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
In 1992 he was elected secretary-general of the Socialist Party, and in 1995 he was elected prime minister of Portugal at the head of a minority government. During his term Guterres oversaw Portugal’s transition to the euro as its official currency and presided over the transfer of Macau to Chinese sovereignty. He also played a key role in the resolution of the crisis in East Timor (Timor Leste); the former Portuguese colony had been under Indonesian occupation since 1975 and Guterres was a prominent advocate for Timorese independence. After the Socialists were soundly beaten in local elections in December 2001, Guterres resigned, and in early legislative elections held in March 2002, the Socialists were swept from power.
As president of the European Council in early 2000, Guterres led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit. He was a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002.
In 2005 the UN General Assembly elected Guterres to serve as the High Commissioner for Refugees. He increased efficiency at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), reducing staff and costs at its Geneva headquarters while improving the organization’s response capabilities. Such steps were clearly necessary at a time when conflicts were displacing populations at a level not seen since World War II, and Guterres used his position to encourage rich countries to do more to aid the world’s refugees.
On October 13, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly elected Guterres to serve as UN secretary-general. After six rounds of straw polling among the 15 members of the Security Council, Guterres emerged from a crowded field that included former Slovenian president Danilo Turk and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark. Of the 13 candidates, 7 were women, and many believed that the Security Council would make history by nominating its first female secretary-general. Guterres was the clear front-runner, however, and in the final vote the typically fractious Security Council found rare consensus, with 13 votes in favour of Guterres and 2 abstentions, with none opposed. On December 12 he took the oath of office and was sworn in as the ninth secretary-general in UN history, succeeding South Korea’s Ban Ki-Moon. Guterres’s term began on January 1, 2017.
Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, in refugee camps and in war zones, António Guterres is determined to make human dignity the core of his work and to serve as a peace broker, a bridge-builder and a promoter of reform and innovation. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years.
Guterres is a practicing Catholic. During his university years, he joined the Group of Light, a club for young Catholics, where he met Father Vítor Melícias, a prominent Franciscan priest and church administrator who remains a close friend and confidant.
Since 1974, Guterres is a member of the Socialist Party. His progressive Catholicism always informed his brand of social democratic politics. In the heady days of Portugal’s revolution, it was rare to be a practicing Catholic in a new Socialist party where many members had Marxist backgrounds. But Guterres would eventually become a modernizing leader, arguing that his mission was social justice and equality.
Guterres became prime minister in 1995. His campaign slogan was “heart and reason”, a cry for more humanism and social politics. Three years earlier he had taken over the Socialist party and modernized it, although he remained to the left of contemporaries such as Tony Blair. For years he led the Socialist International international grouping of leftwing parties.
With Portugal’s rapid economic growth and nearly full employment, Guterres was able to set up a guaranteed minimum income and nursery schooling for all. But he had failed to win an absolute majority and was condemned to preside over a tricky minority government. He had to rely on his skill for consensus, always having to negotiate with the opposition parties if he wanted to get anything passed – something he later argued was perfect training for running the UN.
Guterres also took a broad approach to the UNHCR’s responsibilities. The organization grew dramatically under his management, and not just because the number of the world’s refugees soared in the 21st century. He broadened the categories of people the UNHCR would seek to protect, including internally displaced people and migrants forced from their homes by natural disasters and climate change. He preferred the all-encompassing phrase “people on the move." He managed to persuade donors to fund the expansion by retaining their confidence that the money was well spent, and to do that he cut overheads.
Guterres is a champion for “people on the move.” Antonio Guterres made tremendous strides for refugees during his time as UNHCR, particularly in widening the scope of who the U.N. would help when it came to migrants and displaced people.
His mission is social justice, equality, and peace. In an opinion piece for Newsweek, Guterres writes, “As secretary-general of the U.N., I have called for a surge in diplomacy for peace and appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace. The U.N. was born from war. Today, we must be here for peace.” He seeks to achieve his goals on a global scale, and believes he can do so in the five years he has as Secretary-General.
He supports women’s equality and wants to see a better representation of women in the U.N. “Generally, no one likes to lose positions they have long held,” Antonio Guterres shared on the floor of the U.N., “but the reality of gender parity is that many more women will be in positions that today are occupied by men. But that’s a good thing.”
Quotations:
"We can't deter people fleeing for their lives. They will come. The choice we have is how well we manage their arrival, and how humanely."
"The dramatic problems of today's complex world can only inspire a humble approach."
"Climate change is the defining issue of our time – and we are at a defining moment. We face a direct existential threat."
"When climate change is running faster than we are, everything must be done to defeat climate change."
"There are ways to what is our major battle in the world. To defeat climate change - to save the planet."
"Religious sites should be places of worship, not places of war."
"When political figures add fuel to the wildfire, we are all threatened."
Guterres is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world. He also holds membership in several non-profit charitable organizations.
According to the Guardian, Antonio Guterres was known as a “fearsome orator” during his time in Parliament, known to destroy his opponents’ arguments with clear and logical facts. Guterres later said his time in Parliament helped prepare him for the large speaking role that comes with being Secretary-General of the U.N.
He is an avid reader. President of Refugees International Dr. Michel Gabaudan says that whenever Antonio Guterres visited Washington D.C., he would check out the bookstore Politics & Prose, spending whatever time he had searching for English books that were not easy to find in Europe.
Guterres speaks Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish.
Physical Characteristics: Antonio Guterres has a height of 170 cm with his weight being about 77 kg. He has brown eyes and brown hair.
Quotes from others about the person
"Throughout his career, Mr. Guterres has proven himself to be an advocate for human rights and a champion for the most vulnerable. As UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he provided help and hope to millions of men, women, and children who have been forced to flee from their homes. And he is a consensus-builder who can bring people together to advance common interests and address common challenges. I was heartened that Mr. Guterres indicated that gender equality will be a top priority when filling senior positions." - Hillary Clinton
"We have every confidence that, as a former prime minister of Portugal and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Guterres has the character, vision and skills needed to lead the United Nations at this critical moment." - Barack Obama
Guterres got married to Luísa Amélia Guimarães e Melo, they had two children together; Pedro Guimarães e Melo Guterres and Mariana Guimarães e Melo de Oliveira Guterres. She died of cancer at the Royal Free Hospital in London in 1998 at the age of 51.
In 2001, he married his second wife Catarina Marques de Almeida Vaz Pinto (b. 1960), a former Portuguese State Secretary for Culture and more recently Culture Secretary for the City Council of Lisbon.
Guterres appointed American actress Angelina Jolie as his Special Envoy to represent UNHCR and himself at the diplomatic level in 2012.
Vítor José Melícias Lopes is a Portuguese Franciscan friar.
