The next secretary general Antonio Guterres took the oath of office this morning. He starts work in January 1.
Guterres is an avowed progressive who will take the helm at the UN at a time of rising populism and nativism in some of the world’s leading countries. The Security Council to which he report could be stacked with governments–from (possibly) Le Pen’s France, to Putin’s Russia, to Trump’s America–that may not share his global outlook. One of the more interesting storylines of global politics going into the new year will be how that relationship between Secretary General and Security Council will be managed.
To that end, his acceptance speech offers some hints. The speech is part a diagnosis of the world’s ills and part the concrete steps the United Nations can take to address them. It’s worth watching in full.