Who is the present Secretary General of the United Nations Organization ?
- (a)Ban Ki Moon
- (b)Antonio Guteress
- (c)Kofi Annan
- (d)Kurt Waldheim
Correct — B, Antonio Guteress. The booklet prints 'Guteress'; the person meant is António Guterres, the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations, who took office on 1 January 2017 and was in office when this 2019 paper was set (he was later re-elected for a second term from 2022). A former Prime Minister of Portugal and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he is the 'present' Secretary-General the question asks for.
- (a)Ban Ki Moon — Ban Ki-moon (South Korea) was the 8th Secretary-General, but his tenure ended on 31 December 2016 — he was Guterres's immediate predecessor, not the present holder.
- (c)Kofi Annan — Kofi Annan (Ghana) was the 7th Secretary-General (1997–2006); he had long left office and in fact passed away in August 2018.
- (d)Kurt Waldheim — Kurt Waldheim (Austria) was the 4th Secretary-General (1972–1981) and much earlier; he later became President of Austria. Not the present holder.
The UN Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations. Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, he is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council, normally for a five-year term that is renewable once by convention. The office has by convention rotated among the world's regions; Guterres (Portugal) is the current, 9th, holder.
The trap is that all four names are genuine UN Secretaries-General, so the question is really a 'who is current' recency test. You must know the recent running order: Kurt Waldheim (4th) → Kofi Annan (7th) → Ban Ki-moon (8th) → António Guterres (9th).
- António Guterres (Portugal) — 9th UN Secretary-General, in office since 1 January 2017
- Appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council (UN Charter, Article 97)
- Recent order: Kurt Waldheim (4th) → Kofi Annan (7th) → Ban Ki-moon (8th) → Guterres (9th)
- Before the UN top job, Guterres was Prime Minister of Portugal and UN High Commissioner for Refugees
- Picking the most famous name (Kofi Annan) instead of the current holder
- Confusing Ban Ki-moon (the immediate predecessor) with Guterres
MPPSC and UPSC ask 'present/current holder of office X' and 'match Secretary-General with country' — keep the running order and each SG's nationality ready.
Consider the following statements: 1. Kofi Annan – the UN Secretary-General is from Nigeria. 2. Kofi Annan is the first UN Secretary-General to be appointed from the ranks of the United Nations staff. 3. Kofi Annan was appointed for a second term to the office of the UN Secretary-General. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) 1, 2 and 3
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1 and 3 only
Answer(c) 2 and 3 only — Annan was from Ghana (not Nigeria), the first SG from within UN staff, and served a second term.
Same concept — the office of the UN Secretary-General (here Kofi Annan): tests nationality, selection route and tenure, exactly what the 2019 question probes with Guterres.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of which organ?
- (a)Security Council
- (b)Economic and Social Council
- (c)International Court of Justice
- (d)Trusteeship Council
Answer(a) Security Council — under Article 97 of the UN Charter.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Before becoming UN Secretary-General, António Guterres headed which UN body?
- (a)UNESCO
- (b)UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency)
- (c)WHO
- (d)UNICEF
Answer(b) UNHCR — he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2005–2015).