Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a virtual town hall meeting with U.S. Mission to the United Nations staff, from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2021. [State Department photo by Freddie Everett]
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the UN is the anchor of the multilateral system, and that multilateral system is of vital importance to the US. Blinken made the remarks during a virtual town hall meeting on Monday with the President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir. The Biden administration position on the UN is a major change from former President Trump’s “America First” policy that sought to undermine the world body.
“Today, I’m very much looking forward to discussing with you how to elevate discussions within the General Assembly so the international community can make greater progress on the key issues of our time. You cited many of them, but certainly climate change, COVID, and human rights. We’ll also discuss the work that’s already underway to prepare for the UNGA 76 High-Level Week in September – what some call the “Super Bowl of diplomacy.”
-U.S. Secretary of State Blinken
The U.S. Secretary of State added that the U.S. wants to do its part to make regional and international institutions even more effective as venues for promoting cooperation and also resolving disputes.
“The United Nations, as the leading multilateral institution in the world, has a major role to play in meeting the global challenges of our time.” Secretary of State Blinken
Meanwhile, the President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir said:
“Mr. Secretary, the United States is a crucial friend and partner of the United Nations, and I’m pleased that the new U.S. administration is re-engaging with international institutions and expressing a strong commitment to partnerships and alliances. The U.S. has the capacity to lead by example and exercise significant positive influence, and in that regard, as the most representative organ of the United Nations system, we look forward to the close cooperation within the United States and the – on a – and the United Nations on a wide range of issues.”
Secretary Anthony J. Blinken virtually meets with President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir, from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2021. [State Department photo by Freddie Everett]
“Today we will discuss a number of General Assembly-mandated political issues of mutual interest and concern, including the – first the situation in Myanmar and following the coup d’etat, including the problems of the Muslim Rohingya people; also Syria, where for 10 years the legitimate demands of people have been suppressed by crimes against humanity; and, of course, the implementation of several General Assembly resolutions to support Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict and achieve the vision of two states living side by side in peace and security,” The UN GA president said.
“Our focus here at the United Nations General Assembly is also on some important issues. One of the top priorities is developing a collective response to COVID-19. The immediate concern among the member-states is to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines. The threat of famine involving 270 million people is another important issue. Increasing racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Asian, and anti-Muslims tendencies require our immediate attention.”
-UN GA President Bozkir
