The Portuguese António Guterres will lead the United Nations for another five years.

As expected, the UN General Assembly called the 72-year-old for a second term on Friday.

A resolution was adopted unanimously.

Guterres ran unopposed and with the support of the Security Council.

In addition to numerous regional conflicts - including in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Myanmar - one of the greatest future challenges for Guterres is the fight against the climate crisis. The UN Secretary General had recently repeatedly painted the picture of a world on the brink and urged the major CO2 producers to make greater efforts. The economic and social turmoil as well as poverty and hunger caused by the corona pandemic are likely to play a role for some time to come. In addition, the UN's ability to act threatens to be further impaired by rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The new term of office of the UN Secretary General starts on January 1, 2022 and lasts until the end of 2026. Guterres is the ninth Secretary General and has led the world organization since 2017. His renewed line-up has long been considered safe: Guterres had a good one in recent years Dealing with the influential veto powers USA, China, Russia, Great Britain and France.