United Nations Secretary-General

United Nations Secretary-General
Secretary-General /Dates in office/ Country of origin /Reason of withdrawal
Gladwyn Jebb (24 October 1945 – 1 February 1946) United Kingdom (Europe) Served as acting Secretary-General until Lie's election
1. Trygve Lie 1 February 1946 – 10 November 1952 Norway (Europe) Resigned .Lie, a foreign minister and former labour leader, was recommended by the Soviet Union to fill the post. After UN involvement in the Korean War, the Soviet Union vetoed Lie's reappointment in 1951. The U.S. circumvented the Soviet Union's veto and recommended reappointment to the General Assembly. Lie was reappointed by a vote of 46 to five, with eight abstentions. The Soviet Union remained hostile to Lie and he subsequently resigned in 1952. [2]
2. Dag Hammarskjöld (10 April 1953 – 18 September 1961 ) Sweden (Europe) Died in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia)
3. U Thant (Burmese) (30 November 1961 – 31 December 1971) Burma (Asia) Retired after second term for personal reasons
4. Kurt Waldheim (1 January 1972 – 31 December 1981 ) Austria (Europe) China vetoed his third term
5. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (1 January 1982 – 31 December 1991) Peru (South America) Refused a third term
6. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1 January 1992 – 31 December 1996) Egypt (Africa) The United States vetoed his second term
7. Kofi Annan (1 January 1997 – 31 December 2006) Ghana (Africa) Retired
8. Ban Ki-moon (Korean) (1 January 2007– South Korea (Asia) Currently Serving