United Nations Secretary-General selection of the race, but Kurt Waldheim of Austria won the most votes in the first round. Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina also passed the 9-vote threshold in the second round. However, China vetoed Waldheim, and the Soviet Union vetoed Jakobson and Ortiz. Prior to the third round, the U.S. and UK delegations received instructions to prevent Waldheim from being selected, but they decided to abstain and rely on the Chinese veto. To their surprise, China switched its veto to an abstention. Kurt Waldheim received no vetoes and was selected Secretary-General for a term starting on 1 January 1972. Kurt
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General League for Syria. In July 2012, Gordon Brown, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was named the special envoy on Global Education. There are many other people of different backgrounds who serve the Secretary-General. The UN has appointed a number of Special Envoys. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General A Special Envoy of the Secretary-General (SESG) is a senior United Nations official appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to deal with a set of specific issues. Examples include the SESGs on Children affected by Armed Conflict, on HIV/AIDS in Africa, on LRA-affected areas, on indigenous people, to a specific