23 Sep 2026

As the global diplomatic community grapples with the choice of the upcoming United Nations (UN) secretary general, President Advocate Duma Boko met the outgoing administrative head of the global body, Mr Antonio Guterres, at the UN headquarters in New York city, United States of America. 

The 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) taking place this week will as part of its agenda, give direction on the choice of new head of the UN Secretariat, but prior to that, Botswana got to deliberate its national interests with the incumbent, Mr Guterres, who will hand over to his successor next New Year’s day. 

During the courtesy call on Mr Guterres, the former Portuguese prime minister and Socialist Party leader who has served as the ninth secretary general since the UN was established in 1945, President Boko discussion with him aimed at strengthening cooperation between Botswana and the global body. The two leaders deliberated on national initiatives linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and further highlighted the need for effective multilateralism and the respect for sovereignty in addressing current global challenges. 

Seven candidates, four of them women vying to be the first ever female head of the UN, are contesting to be elected to succeed Guterres as secretary general. 

Article 97 of the UN Charter prescribes that “the secretary general shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council,” and on Tuesday morning, President Boko joined heads of state and government from across the world in the official opening of the UNGA81. 

Officially opening the meeting on Tuesday, Mr Guterres called for a reform of the UN system to make it more democratic, saying it was designed in 1945 in the immediate aftermath of World War II, but dynamics of the time, such as the Cold War and colonialism had since been overrun by historical events. 

He said the UN Security Council for example, still had no permanent member from Africa, a continent that was still under colonial rule when the UN was founded and even after independence, still lacked parity with the Permanent Five- the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, who had the veto power to overrule the democratic decisions of the majority. 

Meanwhile, on the margins of the core UN Assembly, President Boko continued with effort to lure investment to the country. 

He met representatives of Oracle Corporation, a major American technology company based at Austin, Texas that specialises in enterprise software, database systems and artificial intelligence (AI). 

President Boko also had deliberations with Rene Awambeng, a seasoned investment banker, currently the lead investment fund manager and corporate advisory for Africa, Caribbean and the Middle East at Premier Invest, a major global financial services company. ENDS