Test: UN Secretary Generals - UPSC MCQ

Trygve Lie, a Norwegian politician, served as the first Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1946 to 1952. He played a crucial role in shaping the early years of the UN, addressing various challenges in the aftermath of World War II.

The United Nations was officially established on October 24, 1945, after the ratification of the UN Charter by the majority of its founding members. This date is now celebrated annually as UN Day.

U Thant from Myanmar served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, making him the longest-serving Secretary-General in the history of the UN.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru was the Secretary-General during the Gulf War, a conflict that took place in 1990-1991 involving Iraq and a coalition of nations led by the United States.

Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006, along with the United Nations, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for his efforts in promoting global peace and development.

As of 2021, there has not been a female Secretary-General of the United Nations. However, there have been calls for increasing gender representation in this position.

The United Nations signed the Paris Agreement on climate change on April 22, 2016, but it was adopted on December 12, 2015, during the COP21 summit in Paris.

Ban Ki-moon from South Korea succeeded Kofi Annan as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 2007 to 2016.

Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General, tragically died in a plane crash in 1961 while on a peacekeeping mission in Africa.

The concept of "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) was introduced by Kofi Annan during his tenure as Secretary-General, emphasizing the international community's responsibility to protect civilians from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the sixth Secretary-General, was in office during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, a tragic event that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

As of the last update in 2021, António Guterres from Portugal is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, having assumed office on January 1, 2017.

Dag Hammarskjöld was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously in 1961, after his death in a plane crash. He was recognized for his efforts to resolve conflicts and promote peace.

Kofi Annan oversaw the "Oil for Food" program, which aimed to provide humanitarian relief to the Iraqi population during the international sanctions imposed on Iraq in the 1990s.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali was the Secretary-General during the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia in 1995, a tragic event that led to international condemnation.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali played a key role in mediating and ending the Iran-Iraq War, one of the longest and deadliest conflicts in the 20th century.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was the Secretary-General during the Falklands War, a conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) operates under the authority of the Secretary-General, and during its history, Ban Ki-moon was the Secretary-General responsible for overseeing its work.

U Thant served as the Secretary-General during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a tense period during the Cold War when nuclear conflict was a serious concern.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar from Peru was the fifth Secretary-General and the first Latin American to hold this position, serving from 1982 to 1991.