The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and Técnico alumnus, António Guterres, is the winner of the University of Coimbra Award 2022, for his “significant contribution to world peace, social solidarity and development”. The announcement was made this Thursday morning by the Vice Rector of University of Coimbra (UC), professor Luís Neves.

“This year’s award winner is someone with a unique career at national and international level, who has significantly contributed to world peace, social solidarity and development”, said professor Luís Neves. “In the field of peace and social solidarity, we would like to highlight the support for the integration of refugees, the fight against hunger and poverty, and also against the global inequalities”, he added.

The Vice-rector also highlighted the active role of António Guterres “in the implementation of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 agenda”.

The Rector of the UC and Chair of the Jury, professor Amílcar Falcão, highlighted: “António Guterres is an exceptional individual, of worldwide reach, who has constantly raised his voice throughout his national and international positions, in defence of sustainability and the promotion of equality, causes to which the University of Coimbra is also particularly committed”.

Also, the President of the Santander Portugal Foundation and Vice Chair of the Jury, Inês Oom de Sousa, stresses: “As Secretary-General of the United Nations, engineer António Guterres draws attention to the need for global solidarity and the creation of a new mindset that transcends nations, religions and territories”.

The award will be delivered on March 1, during the solemn session commemorating the 732nd anniversary of the UC.

Awarded for the first time in 2004, the UC Award annually distinguishes a Portuguese individual “of unequivocal value in his/her professional area – in the areas of culture, economy and management and/or science and innovation – who has stood out in the past year in unconditional support for the development of people, families, companies and communities, supporting an inclusive and sustainable growth of society”. The award is worth 25 thousand Euros (10 thousand Euros for the winner and 15 thousand Euros for a Santander Research Grant to support the development of work in an area to be defined by the award winner).

António Guterres has led the UN since 2017, and was unanimously re-elected by the U.N. General Assembly in 2021. Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General, he served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.

Engineer António Guterres was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002. The Técnico alumnus was member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002, and member of the Portuguese Parliament for 17 years. He was elected for the first time in 1976 and he was responsible for several portfolios, such as Economy, Finance, Planning, Territorial Administration and Environment.

As president of the European Council, in 2000, he led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit. He was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1981 to 1983, where he chaired the Committee on Demography, Migration and Refugees.

António Guterres graduated in Electrical Engineering in 1971 from Instituto Superior Técnico, with a final grade point average of 19 (out of 20). Later, in 2003/2004, he returned to Técnico as a Visiting Full Professor.