U.N. Security Council formally nominates Guterres to be next secretary-general

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday ratified its unanimous decision to back Portugal’s former prime minister Antonio Guterres as the organization's next secretary-general.

The Security Council's formal recommendation was announced after it's morning meeting in New York City. The recommendation goes next to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly for approval in the coming days.

Outgoing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon phoned Guterres to congratulate him, according to the official Twitter account of Ban's media office.

"He is a superb choice," Ban said.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also congratulated Guterres, saying: "He is an outstanding candidate with all the qualities and experience to do the job."

The new secretary general will build on the example set by Ban, who led the U.N. "with dignity and commitment... to help those most in need and placing respect for human rights at the heart of its agenda," Johnson said.

Speaking at the Foreign Ministry in Lisbon, Guterres said that he hoped the consensus vote would turn out to be symbolic, bringing “swift decisions which the troubled world we live in demands,” according to the Associated Press. Guterres delivered his address in four languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, the current council president, said he hoped members will vote Thursday morning "by acclamation" to recommend Guterres’ candidacy.

The veteran politician and diplomat was previously the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, a position he used to reform the UNHCR and build up its ability to respond to the largest displacement crisis since the end of World War II. He led the U.N. response to the Syrian civil war, Europe's migrant crisis, the conflict in Ukraine and other global problems.

Guterres served at the UNHCR for a decade before stepping down in 2015. He was Portugal's prime minister from 1995 to 2002. He said in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday night that he wants to be "an honest broker, a bridge-builder and someone that tries to create conditions for consensus."

Guterres will replace outgoing career South Korean diplomat Ban Ki Moon, whose quiet style helped deliver two landmark initiatives, the Paris Agreement to address climate change, which the U.S. and China joined in September, and the Sustainable Development Goals for addressing poverty, announced by the U.N. in August.

Ban steps down Dec. 31.

Wednesday’s vote was unanimous, with three votes to "encourage" Guterres as the council’s choice, and two "no opinion" votes. All permanent five members of the Security Council — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China — were among the 13 "encourage" votes, meaning none would use their veto against the recommendation.

Of the 13 original candidates, seven were women, and many thought a female candidate should be chosen for the first time in U.N. history.

United Kingdom ambassador to the U.N. Matthew Rycroft said that while it was "high time for a woman," the candidate with the best overall qualifications won out.

"The most important thing for the UK was the qualities of leadership of this position," Rycroft said in a press conference Wednesday.