193 UN member countries have adopted four resolutions on the pandemic so far this year (File)
The United Nations:
The United Nations General Assembly decided on Thursday to hold a special session focused on international coordination in response to the coronavirus pandemic from December 3-4 in New York.
Discussed since June, the meeting aims to bring together heads of state and government according to a resolution adopted by 150 of the 193 members of the General Assembly.
No country voted against the measure, while the United States, Israel and Armenia abstained.
Officers will be able to present five-minute pre-recorded statements that will be broadcast in the General Assembly Hall.
The clips will be released after brief presentations from representatives physically present in the room, according to the resolution – a format similar to that of the annual General Assembly meeting in September.
In-person appearances by world leaders are unlikely, given the 14-day quarantine period required by New York State for international visitors.
The United States has previously indicated that it is opposed to an expanded role for the World Health Organization in the fight against the pandemic, a position in the face of a significant setback from Russia.
Germany, meanwhile, criticized the resolution for being too vague, while Britain called for representation from non-governmental organizations and other civil society groups.
The 193 UN member countries have passed four resolutions on the pandemic so far this year – on global solidarity, global access to medicines and vaccines, coordination of global action and a unified response to threats global health.
The Security Council, on the other hand, which has had to navigate China-U.S. Tensions over the virus, passed just one resolution on the pandemic, calling for an end to global conflicts in the interest of combating Covid-19.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
