António Guterres

António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres was born on April 30, 1949, in Lisbon. He earned a degree in engineering physics from the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon, where he also taught for a time. In the 1970s, he joined the Socialist Party of Portugal and became its leader in 1992. He served as a member of parliament and in 1995 became Prime Minister of Portugal, holding the position until 2002. After completing his political career in his home country, he moved to international humanitarian institutions, and from 2005 to 2015 headed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), managing the global response to large waves of forced migration, including the Syrian crisis. Since January 1, 2017, he has served as the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the first former head of government to hold this position. During his tenure, he has repeatedly called for ceasefires in armed conflicts, including Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, and has promoted reform of the UN system.