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Who was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations from the African continent?
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Answer: Option D — Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Detailed Solution
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1922-2016), an Egyptian diplomat and scholar, was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations and the first from Africa (and from the Arab world). He served one term, from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1996.
About Boutros Boutros-Ghali:
- He was a professor of international law and international relations at Cairo University.
- As Egypt's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, he played an important part in the Camp David Accords (1978) and the Egypt-Israel peace treaty (1979).
- As UN Secretary-General, he wrote "An Agenda for Peace" (1992), which set out ideas on preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict peace-building.
- His term saw many difficult crises, such as the civil wars in Somalia, Rwanda (the 1994 genocide) and the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia).
He disagreed with the United States on several issues, and the US vetoed his re-appointment for a second term in 1996. He is the only Secretary-General to have served just one term.
After leaving the UN, he became the first Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (1997-2002).
He was succeeded at the UN by Kofi Annan of Ghana, the second African and the first from sub-Saharan Africa to hold the post. Kofi Annan and the UN jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.
Other "firsts" among UN Secretaries-General:
- Trygve Lie (Norway): the first Secretary-General (1946-1952).
- U Thant (Burma): the first Asian (1961-1971).
- Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru): the first from Latin America (1982-1991).
- Ban Ki-moon (South Korea): the second Asian (2007-2016).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kofi Annan (Ghana) was the second African Secretary-General (1997-2006).
- ✗U Thant (Burma) was the first Asian Secretary-General.
- ✗Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru) was the first from Latin America.
Quick tip
Remember: First African UN Secretary-General = Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt, 1992-96, "An Agenda for Peace"); second = Kofi Annan (Ghana); first Asian = U Thant.
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Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.