United Nations secretary-general
Guterres became United Nations Secretary-General on 1 January 2017, following his formal election by the UN General Assembly on 13 October 2016.
On 29 February 2016, Guterres submitted his nomination as Portugal's candidate for the 2016 UN secretary-general selection. This was the first time candidates for secretary-general had to present their platform in public hearings in the UN General Assembly, a process during which Guterres emerged as a much stronger candidate than had been initially expected, given that he fit the bill on neither the gender nor the geographic scores.
On 5 October, the 15-member United Nations Security Council announced that it had agreed to nominate Guterres, after an informal secret ballot in which he gained 13 "encourage" votes and two "no opinion" votes. The Security Council officially nominated Guterres in a formal resolution on 6 October. A week later, he was formally elected by the United Nations General Assembly in its 71st session. Guterres took office on 1 January 2017. Guterres is the first national leader to become the U.N. Secretary-General.
The UN's role in the Haiti cholera outbreak was widely discussed and criticized after the Ban Ki-moon administration denied the issue for several months. According to the Boston-based Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti as well as numerous conclusive scientific studies, the UN is the proximate cause for bringing cholera to Haiti. Peacekeepers sent to Haiti from Nepal in 2010 were carrying asymptomatic cholera and failed to treat their waste properly before dumping it into one of Haiti's main water streams. During his UNSG informal dialogue, Jamaica, on behalf of the Caribbean Community, asked if the UN should assume liability for any deaths within local populations that result from the introduction of infectious disease by its peacekeepers. Jamaica also asked if Guterres believed compensation should be provided. Guterres responded by calling the situation a "particularly complex question," saying it was difficult to preserve diplomatic immunity while also ensuring there is no impunity, but that he would "pay a lot of attention in trying to find the right equilibrium between these two aspects that are absolutely crucial." In a UN General Assembly meeting in late October 2016, the representative from Haiti called the UN's current and future response to the cholera epidemic "a litmus test of the system's commitment to the promotion of human rights". Though many had hoped Guterres's term would mark a break with the inaction that characterized Ban's response to the epidemic, Guterres has done little to signal a commitment to Haitian cholera victims. As of April 2017, five months into his term as secretary-general, only $10 million had been contributed to the $400 million fund to fight cholera and provide material assistance to victims the UN announced in 2016.
In 2016, Anders Kompass exposed the sexual assault of children by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic and, as a consequence, was dismissed by Ban's administration before being rehabilitated in court. During the United Nations Secretary-General Candidate informal dialogues, Guterres indicated it was completely unacceptable that there be UN forces committing human rights violations such as rape and sexual violence. "All of us together—states and UN—must do our utmost to ensure that any kind of action of this type is severely punished," he said. The United States raised the question of international tribunals to try peacekeepers for their crimes. Guterres responded by saying an independent jurisdiction would be excellent but that "the only way to get there is through a new compact with all key parties—true contributors, financial contributors—and to make sure that there is an adjustment in the relation between countries, the UN, and the support those that are contributing with troops receive, in order to be able to do it much better."
On 1 January 2017, on his first day as secretary-general of the United Nations, Guterres pledged to make 2017 a year for peace. "Let us resolve to put peace first," he said. On 12 April 2017, Guterres appointed an eight-member independent panel to assess and enhance the effectiveness of UN-Habitat after the adoption of the New Urban Agenda. The panel's recommendation to establish an independent coordinating mechanism, 'UN-Urban', met with criticism from urban experts and the African Urban Institute. On 20 June 2017, "Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Trump administration, that if the United States disengages from many issues confronting the international community it will be replaced,"
In response to the death of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died of organ failure while in government custody, Guterres said he was deeply saddened. After the violence during the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, Guterres trusted Spanish institutions to find a solution. He gave the same message when Catalonia declared independence on 27 October 2017 but said the solution should be made under the constitutional framework.
Guterres criticized the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and the naval, land and air blockade of Yemen. The blockade has further aggravated Yemen's severe humanitarian crisis. Guterres said that the intervention in Yemen "is a stupid war. I think this war is against the interests of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates... [and] of the people of Yemen." Guterres opposed US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In March 2018, Guterres said the population of Syria's Eastern Ghouta was living in "hell on earth," In one district, 93% of buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December, according to UN satellite imagery analysis. A recent wave of bombings has caused further destruction.
Guterres called the 2018 North Korea–United States summit a "crucial milestone" for nuclear disarmament. He urged both sides to "seize this momentous opportunity" and offered UN assistance to achieve the goal of dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program. In August 2018, Guterres called for an independent investigation into a Saudi Arabian-led coalition air strike in Yemen that killed 51 civilians, including 40 children.
Guterres condemned the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and called for a stronger response to the crisis. In September 2018, during his address to the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, Guterres became the first secretary to say that advancing technology will disrupt labor markets like never before and to advocate stronger safety nets like Universal Basic Income. In 2019, human rights groups criticized Guterres for being "silent" as China sent ethnic Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to the Xinjiang internment camps. Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth said that Guterres "has been notably silent on one of the most important, ... the most brazen human rights abuses, ... because he is worried about upsetting the Chinese."
In June 2019, Guterres stated that the "U.N. has the obligation to assume global leadership" in tackling climate change in the context of a visit to the pacific island of Tuvalu. He had previously supported other multilateral environmental initiatives, such as ecocide becoming a crime at the International Criminal Court and the Global Pact for the Environment that was put forward by France in September 2017. In September 2019, Guterres condemned Israeli plans to annex the eastern portion of the occupied West Bank known as the Jordan Valley. Guterres expressed his "deep concern" at the spiralling violence in Syria a day after Turkey launched an offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas. He said any solution to the conflict needed to respect the sovereignty of the territory and the unity of Syria.
In 2020, the World Jewish Congress awarded him the Theodor Herzl Prize. In the laudatory speech, its president Ronald Lauder called Guterres a "true and devoted friend of the Jewish people and the state of Israel." More than that: "the voice of fairness and justice that the State of Israel and the Jewish people had hoped for at the United Nations for a very, very long time."
Guterres praised the Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement, stating that he welcomes "any initiative that can promote peace and security in the Middle East region." Guterres expressed the hope that the agreement between Israel and Sudan to normalize relations would create opportunities for peace and prosperity. On 10 August 2020, responding to an explosion in Beirut, Guterres expressed his support for all people in need in Lebanon, especially women and girls who are most vulnerable in times of crisis. On 22 September, he appealed for global solidarity to overcome COVID-19, and again called for a global ceasefire by the end of 2020. In September 2020, Guterres stated that he would continue with "a serious dialogue" with UN member states, for a comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council.
On 6 October 2020, Guterres expressed deep concern over the escalation of hostilities in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt fighting and progress towards a peaceful resolution.
On 8 June 2021, the United Nations Security Council expressed support for his re-election as secretary-general. On 18 June 2021, Guterres was appointed for a second term by a voting session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In July 2021 Guterres stated it was "highly desirable" to make ecocide a crime at the International Criminal Court.
In April 2022, Guterres went to Ukraine during the Russian invasion. He was surprised to see that the Russian army shelled parts of Kyiv even when he was there. In response to evacuation efforts initiated by the UN on 30 April following Guterres's visit to Ukraine and Russia, dozens of civilians were photographed by Reuters as being allowed by Russian troops to be evacuated from their entrenched positions in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol. Guterres stated that "instead of hitting the brakes on the decarbonization of the global economy, now is the time to put the pedal to the metal towards a renewable energy future."
In May 2022, Guterres went on a tour through West Africa. There, he met families who had been affected by the Islamist insurgency, and pushed for robust African peace initiatives and other counter-terrorism operations under the wing of the African Union.
On 22 July 2022, together with Turkey, the United Nations under the leadership of Guterres brokered a deal between Russia and Ukraine clearing the way for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
In November 2022, Guterres met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He praised the ceasefire between the Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels that ended the two-year Tigray War, saying the war in Ethiopia had resulted in "more casualties" than the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In January 2023, Guterres called for a global effort to transform education and added that it was time to "translate their Summit Commitments into concrete actions," create an inclusive learning environment that supports all students and "to end all the discriminatory laws and practices that hinder access to education."
In April 2023, the 2023 Pentagon document leaks revealed that Guterres was spied on by U.S. intelligence. Previously, the U.S. and other Western nations had accused Guterres to be overly soft on Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In May 2023, Guterres stated that peace negotiations to end the Russo-Ukrainian War were "not possible at this moment," saying it was clear that Russia and Ukraine "are completely absorbed in this war" and "are convinced that they can win."
In July 2023, Guterres proposed the creation of an international body to oversee artificial intelligence. He stated that "Generative AI has enormous potential for good and evil at scale. Its creators themselves have warned that much bigger, potentially catastrophic and existential risks lie ahead". He also said that the United Nations has an opportunity to adopt rules that make consensus and to foster international coordination.
Guterres condemned the actions of Hamas during the Gaza war, but said he was "deeply distressed" by Israel's decision to impose a total blockade on the Gaza Strip. As The Nation mentioned, Guterres condemned Israel for the "clear violations of international humanitarian law" and demanded an immediate ceasefire. After Guterres made statements critical of Israel's actions in Gaza, particularly his claim that Hamas's attack "did not happen in a vacuum," and "the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation," Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan demanded Guterres's resignation, calling his statements "pure blood libel." In the aftermath of Guterres's statement, Israel blocked issuing visas to UN representatives. Following this, Guterres said that he was "shocked by the misrepresentations" of his statement, pointing out he had also said that "...the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas."
In February 2024, Guterres called for a full investigation into the death of Russian opposition activist and political prisoner Alexei Navalny.
In August 2024, Guterres was awarded, unanimously, East-Timorese citizenship by the National Parliament of East Timor for his dedication to the country's independence. On his citizenship acceptance speech Guterres alluded to the fact that "from now on there is a UN Secretary-General who is both Portuguese and East-Timorese." This is first time a UN Secretary-General holds double-citizenship.
In October 2024, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres persona non grata in Israel for his declarations about the October 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel in which he called for a ceasefire but did not mention the Iranian attack on Israel. Later he condemned the Iranian strikes on Israel.
On 24 October 2024, Guterres attended the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, where he called for a "just peace" in Ukraine "in line with the UN Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions." After Guterres warmly shook hands with Vladimir Putin during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to meet with Guterres in Kyiv with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine releasing the statement: "This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN's reputation"; and adding, "The UN secretary general declined Ukraine's invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin." Putin has been a fugitive since 17 March 2023 when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant following an investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by Putin during the Russo-Ukrainian War. On the contrary, scholars like Bahauddin Foizee defended Guterres's engagement with controversial leaders like Putin as a pragmatic necessity for maintaining diplomacy. Foizee argued that excluding major powers such as Russia from international dialogue could undermine the United Nations' capacity to facilitate broader peace initiatives.
In December 2024, Guterres stated that he also wants to see a permanent seat for the African Union on the UN Security Council, for more fairness and justice in this world towards African countries.
On 25 January 2025, Guterres called for Rwanda to remove its troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and end its support for the M23 rebels.
On 18 March 2025, Antonio Guterres as United Nations Secretary-General said in a statement issued by his spokesperson that he is "shocked" by the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have killed "a meaningful number" of civilians, further stating that he "strongly appeals for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally."
On 22 June 2025, Guterres described US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a "dangerous escalation" and called for diplomacy.
In October 2025, Guterres condemned the massacre of civilians in El Fasher, Sudan, and called for an end to the violence in the Sudanese civil war.
On 15 December 2025, Guterres condemned the mass shooting on the families and victims who gathered at Bondi Beach to celebrate Hannukah, and said he is 'horrified' by the attack.
In January 2026, Guterres stated that he was "shocked" by reports of lethal violence and the "excessive use of force" by Iranian authorities during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests. However, in February 2026, he faced backlash for allegedly congratulating Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. The UN insisted that the letter was simply a matter of protocol and a "routine diplomatic gesture" and should not been seen as an endorsement of policy.
On 28 February 2026, following the US-Israeli military strikes on Iran (Operation Epic Fury), Guterres condemned both the strikes and Iran's retaliatory attacks.
On August 25, 2026 Guterres gave an interview with the Financial Times on the future of the UN in which he stated that the independent UN special rapporteurs are "out of control" especially as it relates to their stands on Israel.
