UN suggests world leaders to send video statements for 75th annual meeting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has suggested world leaders to send video statements for the world body’s 75th annual September meeting this year as there is ‘high unlikely’ chances that they will be able to travel to New York, the UN Headquarters during the Corona virus pandemic. New York has been an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic with over 1 lakh 90,000 cases and nearly 16,000 deaths.

In a letter to the President of General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Mr Guterres suggested that the heads of state and government deliver their prerecorded messages instead, with only one New York-based diplomat from each of the 193 UN member nations present in the General Assembly Hall. The Assembly President said a decision on the annual gathering will be made after consultations with the UN member states.

This year was expected to bring an especially large number of leaders to the UN headquarters to celebrate the founding of the United Nations in 1945 on the ashes of World War II.