Question:
Immediately before Antonio Guterres was appointed the U.N. Secretary General in October 2016, he was ..............
Immediately before Antonio Guterres was appointed the U.N. Secretary General in October 2016, he was ..............
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Always check timelines when answering biography-based GK questions — many leaders have held multiple roles at different times.
Updated On: Aug 14, 2025
- Commissioner General of UNRWA
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- The Prime Minister of Portuguese
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Antonio Guterres, before becoming the Secretary General of the United Nations in October 2016, served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
He held this position from June 2005 to December 2015, during which he oversaw major humanitarian crises, including those in Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan.
The UNHCR is responsible for protecting and supporting refugees worldwide, and Guterres played a vital role in leading the agency through unprecedented displacement challenges.
Option (a) "Commissioner General of UNRWA" refers to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which was not his role.
Option (b) "United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights" is a different UN office focusing on global human rights issues, not refugee protection.
Option (c) "The Prime Minister of Portuguese" — while Guterres was indeed the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, this was long before 2016.
Therefore, option (d) is the only correct and relevant answer that directly matches his role just before becoming UN Secretary General.
He held this position from June 2005 to December 2015, during which he oversaw major humanitarian crises, including those in Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan.
The UNHCR is responsible for protecting and supporting refugees worldwide, and Guterres played a vital role in leading the agency through unprecedented displacement challenges.
Option (a) "Commissioner General of UNRWA" refers to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which was not his role.
Option (b) "United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights" is a different UN office focusing on global human rights issues, not refugee protection.
Option (c) "The Prime Minister of Portuguese" — while Guterres was indeed the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, this was long before 2016.
Therefore, option (d) is the only correct and relevant answer that directly matches his role just before becoming UN Secretary General.
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