Ever
since he was small, António Guterres has set goals and achieved his objectives.
His CV is vast. And the fame that stems from this is justified. He studied
engineering, but it was politics that took up his day-to-day. He joined the
Socialist Party (PS) in the year it was founded, in 1973. Three years later he
was already a member of parliament and, in 1992, secretary general of the PS.
But it was as prime minister that he earned his place in the memory of the
Portuguese. And even more so following his resignation in 2001, when the PS was
beaten in the local elections.
After this he remained discreet, but not entirely quiet. He made a decisive leap forward when, from 2005 to 2015, he held the role of UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees, a position in which he was well-received. The experience might earn him extra points now that he is seeking to be appointed the next United Nations Secretary-General, the top job at the UN, making him the first Portuguese person to hold the post that Franklin Roosevelt envisioned as the «world moderator».
It's safe to say that António Guterres, at 66 years of age, is now an undisputed figure in the country. The margin of error should be small, especially given that the former prime minister is a candidate to become the next United Nations Secretary-General.
The support, a chorus of voices made up political parties from left and right, including figures such as former Portuguese president, Jorge Sampaio, and the current president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, gives him encouragement. But the name he has earned for himself comes, above all else, from the ten years in which he was United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the recognition he has enjoyed for the proven work he has carried out in favour of humanitarian values. It may be for this reason that, in 2009, he was the only Portuguese person to figure on the list of the 100 most powerful people in the world, published by Forbes magazine. The prestigious magazine justified awarding 64th place to Guterres by stating that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was an «agency completely powerless over most people, most of the time, but hugely powerful to millions of souls in extremis».
When, in 2014, the refugee crisis became more prominent, Guterres was automatically catapulted into the international spotlight. The man, who everyone seemed to know nothing of until that point, became a fundamental part of understanding the problem. «I have been eleven times to the United Nations General Assembly, where the heads of state go. Eleven times! The first ten times, nobody took any notice of me. But the last time I was running from one side to the next, because the refugee issue was the main subject everywhere. And everywhere I was called to intervene», António Guterres revealed at the Braga Academic Centre, shortly before the Olhares sobre a Educação (Views on Education) meeting, organised by the archdiocese of Braga.
The post was held in demanding times. The world, and in particular Europe, found itself faced with the most serious refugee crisis since the Second World War, brought about by the worsening situation of the Iraq and Syrian conflicts. «There is a series of reasons that have caused people to move. There is a traditional movement to Europe, which has an economic element to it. But there is also an element related to forms of persecution and conflict. This movement has been increasing over time, but it has always been manageable. Suddenly, this growth accelerated, which, from my point of view, was caused by the conflict in Syria. I can list three causes: the lack of confidence in a peaceful resolution for the Syrian conflict; the difficult living conditions in that country; and the progressive budgetary restrictions, which saw a number of donors reducing the amounts available for humanitarian aid», the UN Secretary-General candidate explained. In António Guterres? opinion, this was the «detonator» that led «people to feel abandoned by the international community and to seek a way out, far from the conflict».
For these reasons, the socialist ended up becoming one of the voices aiming the most criticism towards the European Union, due to its inability to deal with the problem. «It's hard to accept this situation in a modern world. Europe, which had been warned, wasn't prepared to receive these people, and it wasn't able to organise mechanisms of solidarity or of collective responsibility to address this problem. Instead, each country took care of its own needs, which ended up in this tragic situation», the politician revealed, in Braga.
This was, incidentally, the same opinion he put down in a document delivered to the United Nations, in which he presented his vision to the UN, as a candidate, and in which he proposed that the member states change their attitude, in so far as he believes that nations spend too much on managing crises, instead of avoiding them.
A discourse he reiterated, before the ambassadors of the almost 200 UN member states, in New York: «If there is something in which the international community is failing, it is in conflict prevention and resolution, and in safeguarding global security against terrorism».
The candidate has a long road ahead of him, but one on which he is already well placed. By way of an example, UK newspaper The Guardian said that Guterres is the candidate with «the highest profile», not only because of his experience as high commissioner, but also due to the fact that he is «a passionate speaker».
After this he remained discreet, but not entirely quiet. He made a decisive leap forward when, from 2005 to 2015, he held the role of UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees, a position in which he was well-received. The experience might earn him extra points now that he is seeking to be appointed the next United Nations Secretary-General, the top job at the UN, making him the first Portuguese person to hold the post that Franklin Roosevelt envisioned as the «world moderator».
It's safe to say that António Guterres, at 66 years of age, is now an undisputed figure in the country. The margin of error should be small, especially given that the former prime minister is a candidate to become the next United Nations Secretary-General.
The support, a chorus of voices made up political parties from left and right, including figures such as former Portuguese president, Jorge Sampaio, and the current president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, gives him encouragement. But the name he has earned for himself comes, above all else, from the ten years in which he was United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the recognition he has enjoyed for the proven work he has carried out in favour of humanitarian values. It may be for this reason that, in 2009, he was the only Portuguese person to figure on the list of the 100 most powerful people in the world, published by Forbes magazine. The prestigious magazine justified awarding 64th place to Guterres by stating that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was an «agency completely powerless over most people, most of the time, but hugely powerful to millions of souls in extremis».
When, in 2014, the refugee crisis became more prominent, Guterres was automatically catapulted into the international spotlight. The man, who everyone seemed to know nothing of until that point, became a fundamental part of understanding the problem. «I have been eleven times to the United Nations General Assembly, where the heads of state go. Eleven times! The first ten times, nobody took any notice of me. But the last time I was running from one side to the next, because the refugee issue was the main subject everywhere. And everywhere I was called to intervene», António Guterres revealed at the Braga Academic Centre, shortly before the Olhares sobre a Educação (Views on Education) meeting, organised by the archdiocese of Braga.
The post was held in demanding times. The world, and in particular Europe, found itself faced with the most serious refugee crisis since the Second World War, brought about by the worsening situation of the Iraq and Syrian conflicts. «There is a series of reasons that have caused people to move. There is a traditional movement to Europe, which has an economic element to it. But there is also an element related to forms of persecution and conflict. This movement has been increasing over time, but it has always been manageable. Suddenly, this growth accelerated, which, from my point of view, was caused by the conflict in Syria. I can list three causes: the lack of confidence in a peaceful resolution for the Syrian conflict; the difficult living conditions in that country; and the progressive budgetary restrictions, which saw a number of donors reducing the amounts available for humanitarian aid», the UN Secretary-General candidate explained. In António Guterres? opinion, this was the «detonator» that led «people to feel abandoned by the international community and to seek a way out, far from the conflict».
For these reasons, the socialist ended up becoming one of the voices aiming the most criticism towards the European Union, due to its inability to deal with the problem. «It's hard to accept this situation in a modern world. Europe, which had been warned, wasn't prepared to receive these people, and it wasn't able to organise mechanisms of solidarity or of collective responsibility to address this problem. Instead, each country took care of its own needs, which ended up in this tragic situation», the politician revealed, in Braga.
This was, incidentally, the same opinion he put down in a document delivered to the United Nations, in which he presented his vision to the UN, as a candidate, and in which he proposed that the member states change their attitude, in so far as he believes that nations spend too much on managing crises, instead of avoiding them.
A discourse he reiterated, before the ambassadors of the almost 200 UN member states, in New York: «If there is something in which the international community is failing, it is in conflict prevention and resolution, and in safeguarding global security against terrorism».
The candidate has a long road ahead of him, but one on which he is already well placed. By way of an example, UK newspaper The Guardian said that Guterres is the candidate with «the highest profile», not only because of his experience as high commissioner, but also due to the fact that he is «a passionate speaker».
