Antonio Guterres Fast Facts

Here’s a look at the life of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Personal

Birth date: April 30, 1949

Birth place: Lisbon, Portugal

Birth name: Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres

Father: Virgílio Guterres

Mother: Ilda Cândida de Oliveira

Marriages: Catarina Vaz Pinto (2001-present); Luisa Melo (1972-1998, her death)

Children: A son, a daughter and a stepson

Education: Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon

Other Facts

Guterres is a member of the Club de Madrid, a global organization of former presidents and prime ministers that aims to promote democratic values and leadership worldwide.

Fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French.

Timeline

1971-1975 – Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico.

1974 – Ministerial assistant to Mario Soares, a socialist who later became the prime minister and president of Portugal.

1976-1983 and 1985-1995 – Member of Portugal’s parliament.

1981-1983 – Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and president of its Commission for Demography, Migrations and Refugees.

1991 – Co-founds the Portuguese Refugee Council.

1992 – Is elected secretary-general of the Socialist Party of Portugal.

1992-1999 – Vice president of the Socialist International, a global organization of social democratic, socialist and labor parties.

October 1995-2002 – Prime minister of Portugal.

1999-2005 – President of the Socialist International.

2000 – President of the European Council.

2005-2015 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

October 13, 2016 – The UN General Assembly formally approves Guterres as the new secretary-general, succeeding Ban Ki-moon.

January 1, 2017 – Begins his five-year term as secretary-general of the United Nations.