New UN Secretary General: 2017 is a year of peace

Mr. Antonio Guterres started his first working day as Secretary-General of the United Nations by calling on people around the world to "prioritize peace" in 2017.

New UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Photo: AP

"Let's make 2017 a year in which all people, governments and leaders do their best to overcome differences," Reuters news agency quoted Mr. Guterres as saying.

The call was made by former Portuguese Prime Minister Guterres after he took over as UN Secretary-General from his predecessor Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Ban, the 8th UN Secretary-General, had a term starting on January 1, 2007, ending on December 31, 2016.

Mr. Guterres takes on his new role in a world that is experiencing many changes. Conflicts in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and Libya show no signs of ending. On the other hand, the global crisis stemming from terrorism and climate change are also not under control.

The new UN Secretary-General said he would work with all governments and show them a willingness to cooperate "in the face of the enormous challenges we need to face together".

Mr. Guterres also wants to reform, turning the United Nations into an organization that works "fast, effective and productively".

We "must focus more on action rather than process, on people rather than bureaucracy," he stressed, affirming that more than 85,000 UN staff working in 180 countries will be used appropriately./.

According to VNE