UN Secretaries-General: A Gallery Timeline

Since its foundation in October 1945, nine Secretary-Generals have been appointed by the General Assembly. This gallery presents them in chronological order from the first Acting Secretary General Gladwyn Jebb to the present António Guterres.

First General Assembly

Gladwyn Jebb (on the right) attending the first session of the United Nations General Assembly in London on the 10th of January 1946. Jebb was the Acting Secretary-General from October 1945 to the appointment of Trygve Lie in 1946. Photo by Marcel Bolomey / UN Photo

Trygve Lie, first UN Secretary-General

Lie served as the Secretary-General from 1946 until his resignation from his second term in 1952. Photo by UN Photo

Dag Hammarskjöld

Hammarskjöld (in the middle right) served as the Secretary-General from 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1961.
Photo by SAS Scandinavian Airlines

U Thant at Schiphol in 1963

U Thant was appointed as the Acting Secretary General in 1961 after Hammarskjöld´s death. In 1962 he was elected as the permanent Secretary-General serving until 1971. Photo by Nijs Jack de. / Anefo / Nationaal Archief

The Security Council

Kurt Waldheim attending meetings of the Security Council in Panama City in 1973. Waldheim served as the Secretary-General from 1972 to 1981. Photo by Yutaka Nagata / UN Photo

Javier Perez de Cuellar arriving at Schiphol in 1982

Perez de Cuellar served as the Secretary-General from 1982 to 1991. Photo by Bogaerts Rob / Anefo / Nationaal Archief

Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Boutros-Ghali holding a live video conference at UN Headquarters in 1995. He served as the Secretary-General from 1992 to 1996. Photo by Milton Grant / UN Photo

WSIS Forum 2013

Kofi Annan preparing for an interview at ITU TV Studio in 2013. He served as the Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006. Photo by Claudio Montesano Casillas / ITU