List of Secretaries General of the United Nations
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council. The Secretary-General's selection is therefore subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Mr. Antonio Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1 January 2017.
List of Secretaries General of the United Nations
| Secretary-General |
Dates in office |
Country of origin |
UN Regional Group |
| Gladwyn Jebb |
24 October 1945 – |
United Kingdom |
Western European & Others |
| Trygve Lie |
2 February 1946 – |
Norway |
Western European & Others |
| Dag Hammarskjöld |
10 April 1953 – |
Sweden |
Western European & Others |
| U Thant |
30 November 1961 – |
Burma |
Asian |
| Kurt Waldheim |
1 January 1972 – |
Austria |
Western European & Others |
| Javier Pérez de Cuéllar |
1 January 1982 – |
Peru |
Latin American & Caribbean |
| Boutros Boutros-Ghali |
1 January 1992 – |
Egypt |
African |
| Kofi Annan |
1 January 1997 – |
Ghana |
African |
| Ban Ki-moon |
1 January 2007– 2016 |
South Korea |
Asia-Pacific |
| Antonio Guterres |
Jan. 1, 2017– Till date |
Portugal |
- |
Although there is technically no limit to number of five-year terms a Secretary-General may serve, none so far has held office for more than two terms.