World Leaders Won’t Gather at U.N. for Annual Debate
The president of the U.N. General Assembly said world leaders will not be coming to New York for their annual gathering in September for the first time in the 75-year history of the United Nations.
UNITED NATIONS — The president of the U.N. General Assembly said Monday that world leaders will not be coming to New York for their annual gathering in late September for the first time in the 75-year history of the United Nations because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But the General Assembly’s president, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, told a news conference that he hopes to announce in the next two weeks how the 193 heads of state and government will give their speeches on pressing world issues during the assembly’s so-called General Debate.
“World leaders cannot come to New York because they cannot come simply as individuals,” he said. “A president doesn’t travel alone, leaders don’t travel alone” and “it is impossible” to bring large delegations to New York during the pandemic.
By The Associated Press at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/world/un-general-assembly.html