The UN's 193-nation General Assembly appointed Antonio Guterres on Friday to head the world body for a second five-year term.
The secretary general said he would work for a “greener, safer and better future” in his next term, which begins on January 1, 2022.
Mr Guterres has been praised for navigating the UN through the difficulties of the Donald Trump presidency – when relations were often strained– while weathering deepening US-China tension and the Covid-19 pandemic.
But critics say he is too lenient on human rights abusers.
“The pandemic has revealed our shared vulnerability, our interconnectedness and the absolute need for collective action,” Mr Guterres said.
“We need to do everything we can to overcome current geostrategic divides and dysfunctional power relations.”
Mr Guterres took office in January 2017, having previously served as Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002, and head of the UN refugee agency from 2005 to 2015.
As the world’s top diplomat, he has pushed for climate action, coronavirus vaccines for all and action in the fight against poverty.
“Equity needs to start now. Vaccines need to be available for everyone, everywhere, and we must create the conditions for sustainable and inclusive recovery both in the developed and developing world,” he said.
Mr Guterres began his first term only weeks before Donald Trump became US president, leading with a go-it-alone attitude and a disdain for multilateralism.
The US is the top UN financial backer, covering 22 per cent of its budget and around a quarter for its blue helmet operations.
US President Joe Biden has worked to revive multilateralism and has reversed some funding cuts to UN agencies made in Trump era.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called Mr Guterres a "capable leader in a demanding role".
"The UN is an indispensable anchor of the multilateral system," said Mr Blinken.
"It provides a vital framework through which member states work together to meet such unprecedented challenges as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, human rights, development, migration, and humanitarian crises."
But under the watch of Mr Guterres, the conflicts and humanitarian crises in Yemen and Syria have dragged on without resolution, while new emergencies have erupted in Myanmar and Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.
Louis Charbonneau, UN director for the campaign group Human Rights Watch, said that in his second and final term Mr Guterres could start "calling out" human rights abuses by powerful countries.
"Guterres's legacy will depend on his willingness to speak out for all the oppressed, wherever they are," he said.
Seven people nominated themselves as challengers to Mr Guterres, including former Ecuadoran president Rosalia Arteaga, but none of them had the necessary backing of a UN member state. Mr Guterres was the candidate for his native Portugal.
Despite reforms, the selection process for UN chiefs remains opaque and is micromanaged by the US, China and other big powers.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
