Antonio Guterres was chosen as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations said. The Geneva-based UNHCR, the largest refugee agency in the world, has an annual budget of close to $1 billion and 6,000 staff in 115 countries to deal with 17 million homeless people. Guterres, president of the Socialist International since 1999, replaces Ruud Lubbers, the former Dutch prime minister, who was pressured to resign in February following allegations of sexual harassment which he vigorously denied.

He was one of eight candidates for the UNHCR post, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan making the final decision. “The secretary-general is pleased to announce that he has asked the General Assembly to elect Antonio Manuel de Oliviera Guterres of Portugal as the new High Commissioner for Refugees,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. EC President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “Antonio Guterres brings his competence and his very sincere commitment to this cause and I am delighted that this has been recognised in the Secretary General’s nomination.” Guterres, 56, was prime minister of Portugal from 1996 until 2002, when he resigned after defeats by his Socialist party in local elections.

He was extremely active in negotiations and financial aid leading to the independence of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony. He also lobbied nations on the need for military intervention, which Australia carried out in 1999 to stop a scorched earth campaign following a Timorese referendum to break from Indonesia.