Former Prime Minister of Portugal, António Guterres, was chosen by acclamation as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. Guterres is set to take office on January 1, 2017. He spoke with UN Radio about his vision for the position, the main challenges facing the world, and how the United Nations should respond to global threats. Guterres also discussed the Portuguese language and how being Portuguese helps promote dialogue among various cultures.
In commenting on the UN reform and his three points for executing the proposal, he emphasized the importance of inclusive implementation.
UN Radio: Designated Secretary-General António Guterres, congratulations on your appointment. If possible, I would like us to transport ourselves to January 1, 2017. The world marked by various conflicts in Africa, Syria, Yemen, and other parts. Deadlock in the Security Council on some issues. The highest number of refugees since World War II. What will be your first measure as the new leader of the UN?
António Guterres: I wouldn’t call it a measure. I would call it a strategy. And this strategy involves a very strong push for diplomacy for peace. We are witnessing today, as I said, a terrible multiplication of conflicts. The old conflicts do not end. And the conflicts are linked not only to each other but also to international terrorism. Therefore, it is necessary… And the Secretary-General cannot solve this problem alone. He does not have the instruments of power to do so. But it is necessary to put all his capacity for persuasion as a catalyst, as a bridge builder in the sense of leading those States that have influence over the existing conflict situations to understand that today the divisions they may have among themselves mean very little in the face of the unity of interests they have to restore a collective security for humanity. And that this unity of interest should lead them to actively collaborate to put an end to the tragic conflicts we are witnessing.
UN Radio: You are described by your peers as someone who speaks with everyone and listens to everyone. Some ambassadors from Portuguese-speaking countries say that this is also a tradition of your home country: to build bridges, to dialogue with different peoples. To what extent should speaking Portuguese help your work as the next Secretary-General?
AG: There are certainly many negative issues from the Portuguese colonial past that must also be acknowledged. But if anything is true in the history of Portugal, it is this logic of being a permanent crossroads of civilizations. It is the constant mixing in all parts of the world and in the country itself. And this helps a lot to understand the world that is today multicultural, multiethnic, and multireligious everywhere. And to understand that differences are enriching and that everyone has something important to say and that everyone must be heard for the world to progress positively. And in this sense, I confess that I really like being Portuguese. I take great pride in it. And the Portuguese-speaking world is a world of extraordinary variety across all continents and has made very important contributions to universal civilization.
UN Radio: You are betting on the success of the organization’s reform and cite three steps: implementation, implementation, implementation. How should it occur in practice?
AG: Well, it is very early to effectively answer that. As these things must be done with good listening, with good participation from everyone. With great determination to make the organization more effective and above all to orient resources more and more towards those we must serve. But, as I said, this is not done in an authoritarian top-down logic. It has to be done in a participatory logic, of dialogue and persuasion as well to succeed. A reform that is not embraced by everyone as their own is a reform that tends to fail. And I hope it is possible at the United Nations to make a great effort to make the organization more effective and above all more focused on those who need it. More decentralized, more connected to the problems of people in every corner of the world, where the United Nations today plays such an important role.