Secretary-General: Press Release

On Thursday morning, 12 December, the Secretary-General travelled from South Africa to Lesotho.

The Secretary-General arrived in South Africa from New York on Wednesday, 11 December. In Johannesburg, he attended a meeting of the G20 [Group of 20] sherpas and finance deputies. He delivered remarks before heading to Pretoria.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Elinor Jane Britt Hammarskjöld of Sweden as Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel. She succeeds Miguel de Serpa Soares of Portugal, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his dedicated service and long-standing commitment to the Organization.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the eleventh Summit of the Developing-8 (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation, in Cairo today:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, established by the United Nations General Assembly in June 2023 to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria and to provide adequate support to victims, survivors and the families of those missing in close cooperation and complementarity with all relevant actors.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence and the maintenance of international peace and security, in New York today:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ statement on Syria:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Michelle Gyles-McDonnough of Jamaica as Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). She will succeed Nikhil Seth of India, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his utmost gratitude for his dedication and commitment to the United Nations.