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U Thant

File:Tomb_of_U_Thant.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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U Thant

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Also known as Pantanaw U Thant, Maha Thray Sithu U Thant, Thant, Thiripyanchi U Thant, SitPantanawu U Thant

UN Secretary-General from 1961 to 1971

AI overview

U Thant was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, serving during a critical period of the Cold War that included major international crises. As the UN's chief administrator and diplomat, he played a significant role in how the organization responded to global conflicts and challenges during one of the most tense decades of the twentieth century.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Citizenship
Myanmar
Place of birth
Pantanaw
Place of death
New York City
Occupation
writer
Position held
ambassador
Educated at
University of Yangon
Employer
United Nations
Political party
Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
Languages spoken
Burmese
Religion
Theravāda
Participant in
Asian–African Conference
Image
U Thant (1963).jpg
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Commons category
U Thant
date of birth
1909-01-22
date of death
1974-11-25
cause of death
lung cancer
manner of death
natural causes
Commons gallery
U Thant
described by source
Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia
member of
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
nominated for
Nobel Peace Prize
name in native language
ဦးသန့်
on focus list of Wikimedia project
WikiProject Human rights
P12749
Dryadoideae
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Encyclopedic overview

Thant (Burmese: သန့်, MLCTS: san., pronounced [θa̰ɰ̃]; 22 January 1909 – 25 November 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (/uː θɑːnt/), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian as well as Asian to hold the position. He held the office for a record 10 years and one month.

A native of Pantanaw, Thant was educated at the National High School and at Rangoon University. In the days of tense political climate in Burma, he held moderate views positioning himself between fervent nationalists and British loyalists. He was a close friend of Burma's first Prime Minister U Nu and served in various positions in Nu's cabinet from 1948 to 1961. Thant had a calm and unassuming demeanour that won his colleagues' respect.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “U Thant” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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