Portuguese Ex-PM Antonio Guterres Elected UN Secretary-General

Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres has been elected as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.

UN General Assembly President Peter Thompson made the announcement and said the 193 member states wanted it approved by acclamation.

He then banged his gavel in approval as diplomats broke into applause.

Mr Thompson said Mr Guterres "embodies the highest standards of competence, integrity and leadership".

The 67-year-old will take up the job of the world's top diplomat on 1 January, when Ban Ki-moon's second five-year term ends.

He promised the General Assembly he would act as an "honest broker" and he would take a humble approach in trying to deal with global issues.

He said: "Diversity can bring us together, not drive us apart.

"We must make sure that we are able to break this alliance between all those terrorist groups or violent extremists on one side and the expressions of populism and xenophobia on the other side.

"These two reinforce each other, and we must be able to fight both of them with determination."

Shortly after his appointment, he told reporters it was time to end the war in Syria.

"Whatever divisions might exist now it's more important to unite," he said. "It's high time to fight for peace."

Mr Guterres won unanimous support from the 15-member Security Council during a vote last week.

He beat 12 other candidates - seven women and six men.

He will now manage a staff of 44,000 people in addition to more than 100,000 peacekeepers with a budget of $10bn.

The role's responsibilities will include dealing with issues such as human rights, refugees and climate change.

Mr Guterres served as UN refugee chief for 10 years until last December.

During that time he appealed to Western states to do more to help those fleeing conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr Ban praised Mr Guterres on his humanitarian efforts and said he is "best known where it counts most, on the front lines of armed conflict".

He added his "political instincts are those of the UN - co-operation for the common good and shared responsibility for people and the planet".

Mr Guterres first entered politics in Portugal in 1976, became leader of the Socialist party in 1992, and was elected prime minister in 1995.

His appointment comes at a time of global worry over the ongoing war in Syria, the refugee crisis and raging conflicts in South Sudan and Yemen.

The Security Council is deadlocked over Syria after two draft resolutions were defeated in separate votes over the weekend.