UNGA president-elect wants General Debate to focus on multilateralism amid pandemic

Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-11 02:22:17|Editor: huaxia

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The president-elect of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, has decided to ask member states to focus on multilateralism in the context of COVID-19 at this year's General Debate.

In a letter circulated to member states on Monday, Bozkir said the theme of this year's General Debate will be "The Future We Want, the United Nations We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism -- Confronting COVID-19 Through Effective Multilateral Action."

He was just adding the COVID-19 element to the theme of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

"Given the global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, I have decided to append to this overarching theme a more specific focus," he said in the letter.

"I would encourage all member states to reflect on how the future we want and the United Nations we need can be concretized in the specific context of COVID-19, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable; and how we can ensure our partnerships to achieve Agenda 2030 adapt to the crisis as we enter the Decade of Action to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)."

Unlike his predecessors, Bozkir will not be hosting world leaders during this year's General Debate in September as a result of COVID-19. Instead, world leaders have been asked to submit pre-recorded messages that will be played in the General Assembly Hall. Enditem

KEY WORDS:
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100001392803721