United Nations Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres (C) signs Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's guest book at the UN headquarters in New York, Oct. 13, 2016. The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday appointed by acclamation Portugal's former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as next UN secretary-general to succeed retiring Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)