CNN Editorial Research(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 1974 – Ministerial assistant to Mario Soares, a socialist who later became the prime minister and president of Portugal. October 13, 2016 – The UN General Assembly formally approves Guterres as the new secretary-general, succeeding Ban Ki-moon. Later in the week, Guterres travel to Ukraine and meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. September 22, 2025 – Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Guterres calls the situation in Gaza “intolerable” and said a two-state solution is the “only way out of this nightmare.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros.