UNITED NATIONS: Pakistani Ambassador to UN, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, briefed UN Secretary General-designate Antonio Guterres on the situation in South Asia and Afghanistan. Ambassador Lodhi called on him in her first meeting after the UN General Assembly unanimously elected him as the new UN chief on October 13. Dr Lodhi also discussed with him both the opportunities and challenges confronting the world. At the outset, the Pakistani envoy conveyed congratulations to the secretary-general-designate on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz. Guterres expressed his deep admiration for Pakistan’s resilience, not just in hosting refugees, but also in confronting the challenges it has faced over the years. He fondly recalled his various visits to Pakistan and the excellent cooperation that he had received as the UN high commissioner for refugees, a post he held for 10 years. As UNHCR top official, Guterres has visited Pakistan six times. Guterres, who will formally take over as UN secretary general on January 1, 2017, was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002. He entered politics in 1976 in Portugal’s first democratic election after five decades of dictatorship. He became leader of the Socialist Party in 1992 and was elected as prime minister in 1995. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who completes his term at the end of this year, has called Guterres an excellent choice,” noting that the two had worked closely during Guterres long and outstanding tenure as the UN high commissioner for refugees. After his appointment by the UN General Assembly on October 13, Guterres pledged to act as an “honest broker” and said that he would take a humble approach in trying to deal with global issues, with human dignity at the core of his work. “Diversity can bring us together, not drive us apart,” Guterres told the General Assembly. “We must make sure that we are able to break this alliance between all those terrorist groups or violent extremists on one side and the expressions of populism and xenophobia on the other side,” he said. “These two reinforce each other, and we must be able to fight both of them with determination”, he added.