World leaders return to UN with focus on epidemics and climate

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – World leaders return to United Nations Headquarters in New York this week to focus on ramping up efforts to combat climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic that forced last year to broadcast video explanations of the annual meeting.

As the coronavirus outbreak continues amid the unfair release of vaccines, about a third of the 193 United Nations countries plan to rebroadcast the videos, but presidents, prime ministers and secretaries of state are scheduled to travel to the United States.

The US has tried to prevent leaders from coming to New York to prevent the UN General Assembly from becoming a “widespread event” even though President Joe Biden will speak personally to the assembly, his first visit to the UN since taking office. . The so-called UN honor system means that everyone who enters the assembly hall is effectively declared to have been vaccinated, but does not have to provide proof. Continue reading

This system will be broken when the first country speaks – Brazil. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a vaccine skeptic, announced last week that he does not need to be vaccinated because he is already immune after contracting COVID-19.

If he changes his mind, New York City has a pickup truck outside the United Nations for this week to offer free trials and one free dose of Johnson & Johnson. (JNJ.N) Serum.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Reuters that discussions about how many traveling diplomats might have been vaccinated showed “how severe the inequality in vaccination is today”. He is pushing for a global plan to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population by the first half of next year.

Of the 5.7 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines given worldwide, only 2% were in Africa. Biden will host a virtual meeting from Washington with CEOs and CEOs on Wednesday to boost the spread of vaccines around the world.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Guterres noted the efforts of Biden and the International Monetary Fund He suggested Create a $50 billion vaccine program for poor countries as rich nations begin to tackle vaccine inequality.

“But let’s be clear: It’s all too little, it’s too late,” he added.

Showcasing US concern about COVID-19 via the UN meeting, Biden will be in New York only for 24 hours, where he meets with Guterres on Monday and delivers his first address to the UN on Tuesday, right after Bolsonaro.

UN envoy Linda Thomas Greenfield said Biden would “talk about our top priorities: ending the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting climate change…and defending human rights, democracy and the rules-based international order.”

Because of the pandemic, UN delegations are limited to a much smaller number and most fringe events will be virtual or a mix of virtual and in-person. The ministers are expected to discuss Afghanistan and Iran later this week.

But before the annual addresses begin, Guterres and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will start the week with a summit on Monday to try to save the United Nations summit, which begins on October 31 in Glasgow, Scotland, from failure.

While scientists warn global warming is dangerously close to spiraling out of control, the UN COP26 conference aims to wring more ambitious climate action and money from attendees around the world.

“It’s time to read the alarm,” Guterres told Reuters last week. “We are on the edge of the abyss.” Continue reading

Additional coverage from Michelle Nichols, Anthony Buddle and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Schumaker

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