UN to commemorate its 75th anniversary on September 21 amid ‘time of great disruption’

The United Nations will be commemorating its 75th anniversary on September 21 amid a ‘time of great disruption’, compounded by the global health crisis with severe economic and social impact. The anniversary will kick off UN’s annual General Assembly and this year's theme will be, ’The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism’. Due to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, this year instead of attending the meeting in-person, leaders will be appearing by video conference. 

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “As we mark the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, it is clear that the world has high expectations of us, as the main platform for multilateralism and cooperation on a rules-based international system”. 

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Normally the leaders and representatives of nearly 200 countries gather en masse to sound off about the world’s problems and offer myriad solutions. However, this year, a part of Manhattan will not be sealed off for the UNGA and there will no endless limousine convoys, no busy beehive of diplomats, journalists and translators in the halls of the UN headquarters in New York. 

With COVID-19 still limiting the movement, just one representative from each of the 193 UN members will be allowed, and only someone already in the US. Around 170 heads of state and government, who are planning the address the meeting, will have to appear by videoconference. Monday’s high-level meeting, which will begin at 9am and conclude before 9pm, will be a stand-alone event, with no other intergovernmental meeting or side events in parallel whether online or at UN headquarters.  

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UN75 report to be issued on Sept 21 

The newly elected President of General Assembly, Volkan Bozkin, will be making an opening statement, thereafter, the meeting will hear statements from the host country, Member States, observer States and the European Union. Further, the event will also kick off with a joint declaration full of good intentions and a call to combat unilateralism. The UN75 Report will be issued on Monday and a communications package with new messaging and assets will be available in the week leading up to September 21. 

Appearing by video on September 22, Tuesday will be Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping and the US leader Donald Trump. The next day, i.e Wednesday, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, who much of the world sees as illegitimate, will address the assembly. The missing speakers this year are leaders of Syria and North Korea. 

(Image: AP) 

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