November 15, 2024
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J. Tuyet Nguyen, a journalist with years of experience, has covered major stories in New York City and the United Nations for United Press International, the German Press Agency dpa and various newspapers. His reports focused mostly on topics with international interests for readers worldwide. He was president of the United Nations Correspondents Association (2007 and 2008), which is composed of more than 250 journalists representing world media with influence over policy decision makers. He has chaired the organization of the annual UNCA Awards, which seeks to reward journalists around the world who have done the best broadcasts and written reports on the UN and its specialized agencies. He has traveled the world to cover events and write stories, from politics to the environment as well cultures of different regions. But his most important reporting work has been with the United Nations since the early 1980s. He was bureau chief of United Press International office at the UN headquarters before joining dpa in 1997. Prior to working at the UN, he was an editor on the International Desk of UPI World Headquarters in New York. He worked in Los Angeles and covered the final months of war in Vietnam for UPI.

Update: 143 countries ask Russia to reverse annexation of Ukraine regions in U.N. vote

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New York, October 12 – The United Nations General Assembly voted 143-5 to demand that Russia “immediately and unconditionally” reverse its decision to annex four regions in Ukraine. Russia, Syria, North Korea, Nicaragua and Belarus voted against.

The number 143 countries in the 193-nation assembly was the highest voting against Russia’s war in Ukraine, which started on February 24 this year, and its decision to annex the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine on September 29.

A total of 35 countries abstained, including China, India, Pakistan, Cuba, Thailand, South Africa and Vietnam.

The resolution declares that the annexation has “no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alteration of the status of these regions of Ukraine.”

The resolution condemns Russia for holding on September 23-27 “illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.”

It calls on “all states, international organizations and United Nations specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration” by Russia of the status of the four regions and “to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status.”

The adopted resolution is the fourth to be enacted by the assembly in its diplomatic efforts to end the war started by Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

In the previous three votes in the assembly a majority of the 193 member states supported the resolution condemning the war. The vote taken on March 2 just days after fighting erupted a total of 141 countries voted to condemn while Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea voted against. A total of 35 countries abstained.

The adopted resolution on March 2 condemned “in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” in violation of the U.N Charter and demanded that Russia withdraw immediately and cease all acts of war.

In the second and third votes, the number of countries supporting ending the war dropped while countries that abstained increased.

(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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World Bank and IMF leaders urged to take inclusive fiscal approach to building resilience in developing countries

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Press release from the Institute of Development Studies
New Research on the impact of Covid-19, spanning 42 low- and middle-income counties, has identified macroeconomic and social policies required to build resilience against future health shocks and environmental emergencies. As world leaders meet at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Washington DC this week, a body of evidence from the Covid Research for Equity Programme (CORE), synthesised by the Institute of Development Studies, provides a clear case for coordinated fiscal measures that target the most vulnerable.
The findings of 21 studies in low- and medium-income countries (LMICS) spanning Africa, Latin America, Asia and South Asia and the Middle East, supported by the International. Development Research Centre (IDRC), have profound implications for the IMF and World Bank’s commitment to inclusive global development. The pandemic has had impacts on people’s lives across the dimensions of livelihoods and food security, social protection, fiscal policy, gender, governance and public health. It has dramatically exposed weaknesses and inequities in social protection systems, food production and distribution, job security, tax and poverty alleviation.
James Georgalakis, from the Institute of Development Studies, said:
“There is much that global financial institutions can learn from governments and macro-economists in low- and middle-income counties, who responded urgently to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19 – especially for their most vulnerable citizens. Close collaborations between macroeconomists and policy makers in some LMICS have produced solutions that directly address the social injustices that remain untouched by biomedical responses to the pandemic.”
The IMF and the World Bank’s common goal of raising living standards in their member countries focuses on macroeconomic and financial stability and on long-term economic development and poverty reduction. The new research published this week suggests much can be learned from governments in LMICS responding to Covid-19 who have produced a range of monetary and fiscal policy recommendations for longer-term recovery and future resilience.
These include more coordinated fiscal interventions that target the most marginalised: from interest rate policies, and quantitative easing, to progressive taxation and trade policy, to macroeconomic policy that explicitly focuses on gender.
In Uganda for example, reductions in the market interest rate boosted private sector investment and household consumption. The government also moderated the financial market against liquidity risk, capital adequacy risk and credit risk, which supported stability. Fiscal policy provided a temporary liquidity shield through tax relief for small businesses.
Source: Okumu, I.M.; Kavuma, S.N. and Bogere, Uganda and COVID-19: Macroeconomic Policy Responses to the Pandemic, CoMPRA
Research on Bangladesh suggests that increased government transfers to low-income households reap greater benefits for real consumption in poor households. And an increase in spending on health and education will have a positive impact on real gross domestic production and exports.
Source: Bhattacharya, D.; Khan, T.I. and Rabbi, M.H, Covid-19 and Bangladesh Macroeconomic Impact and Policy Choices, Centre for Policy Dialogue
Erin Tansey, Program Director, Sustainable Inclusive Economies, at IDRC said:
“Policy responses to the economic impacts of the pandemic are still underway and evolving to address other crises. Of direct relevance to deliberations in Washington, this body of Southern-led research provides evidence for coordinated fiscal measures to protect the most vulnerable against future shocks and promote gender equality. The recommendations are grounded in the lived experiences of hard-to-reach communities in low- and middle-income countries and in rigorous modelling and analysis.”
Other key findings include:

  1. Food system reforms and protection of livelihoods must target women and young people: Covid-19 is having a major impact on households’ production and access to quality, nutritious food. This is due to losses of income combined with increasing food prices, and restrictions on the movement of people and produce. CORE research is also highlighting the predicament of those working in the informal sector, particularly women, including migrant workers, waste-pickers, sex workers and street vendors. Recommendations for addressing the impacts of Covid-19 on marginalised groups include food system reforms and adaptive social protection measures that target women and young people in the informal sectors. This evidence is pertinent to longer-term recovery and to building resilience to future shocks.
  2. Social protection systems must become more inclusive and flexible: Across much of the research published so far from CORE, there are observations around the impact of Covid-19 on groups who are excluded from social protection schemes. The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing weaknesses in social protection in all regions. Many studies include recommendations for a more inclusive and adaptive approaches to social protection as being central to preparing for future health and economic emergencies.
  3. Collaborative governance needed respond to health emergencies: The pandemic has both mobilised citizens to support others in need and generated a violent backlash against marginalised groups. CORE research finds examples of effective collaborations between civil society groups and different levels of government to support a more effective response to the pandemic in areas such as contact tracing and access to food. However, some studies have also highlighted securitised and militarised state responses, underpinned by panic and long-standing political disputes. Stronger public communication strategies are needed along with better coordination and collaboration between governments, local authorities and communities that harnesses citizens’ response.
    ENDS/

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U.N. plans vote to defend territorial integrity of Ukraine

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New York, October 8 – The United Nations General Assembly will debate Russia’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine and possibly vote on a resolution to declare that the move has “no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alteration of the status of these regions of Ukraine.”

The assembly’s 193 member states will meet Monday October 10 to begin the debate after a similar resolution calling the annexation illegal was vetoed by Russia in a U.N. Security Council meeting. In that meeting on September 30, 10 countries supported the resolution: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Albania, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway and United Arab Emirates.

Russia voted against and four countries abstained – China, India, Brazil and Gabon. 

The assembly is a legislative body composed of 193 countries and each has one vote and where the veto does not exist. By contrast the five U.N. Security Council permanent members – US, United Kingdom, Russia, France and China – have veto power over decisions on world peace and security. Decisions taken by the Security Council are binding on U.N. members.

The draft resolution to be debated in the assembly would condemn Russia for holding on September 23-27 “illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.”

It calls on “all states, international organizations and United Nations specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration” by Russia of the status of the four regions and “to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status.” 

If adopted by the assembly, the resolution would be the fourth to be enacted by the body in its diplomatic efforts to end the war started by Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year.

In the previous three votes in the assembly a majority of the 193 member states supported the resolution condemning the war. The vote taken on March 2 just days after fighting erupted a total of 141 countries voted to condemn while Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea voted against. A total of 35 countries abstained. 

The adopted resolution on March 2 condemned “in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” in violation of the U.N Charter and demanded that Russia withdraw immediately and cease all acts of war.

In the second and third votes, the number of countries supporting ending the war dropped while countries that abstained increased.

(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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Pakistan faces climate calamities after massive floods, U.N. says

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New York, October 7 – The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for world assistance and solidarity with the people and government of Pakistan as one-third of the country was deluged, affecting 33 million lives and over 15 million people could be pushed into poverty.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who visited Pakistan for a first-hand view of the destructions, said Pakistan was responsible for less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but it is now paying a “supersized price for man-made climate change.”

He said while the weather has improved and flood waters have receded mostly in the southern parts, the country is threatened with an explosion of heath diseases like cholera, malaria and dengue fever.

Floods have destroyed 1,500 health facilities, two million homes were damaged or destroyed and more than two million families have lost all possessions. The country also suffered severe losses in crops and livestock.

“Severe hunger is spiking,” Guterres said in an address to the 193-nation assembly. “Malnutrition among children and pregnant lactating women is rising. The number of children out of school is growing. Heartache and hardship – especially for women and girls – is mounting.”

The U.N. and Pakistan government have called for a pledging conference with an initial appeal of $816 million to meet the most urgent needs in the country through May 2023.

Csaba Kőrösi, the president of the assembly, appealed to governments to stand in solidarity with Pakistan with prompt responses to the country’s needs saying that “the price we are paying for delays rises each day.”

“This is a tragedy of epic proportions” that requires “immediate interventions,” to prevent a “permanent emergency,” he said.

The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) in Geneva said it needs urgent help for over 650,000 refugees.

U.N. News reported that Matthew Saltmarsh, the agency’s spokesperson, said Pakistan faces “a colossal challenge” to respond to the climate disaster, more support is need “for the country and its people, who have generously hosted Afghan refugees for over four decades.”

Saltmarsh reported on the latest estimates of the unprecedented rainfall and flooding, recorded at least 1,700 deaths; 12,800 injured, including at least 4,000 children; some 7.9 million displacements; and nearly 600,000 living in relief sites.

“Pakistan is on the frontlines of the climate emergency,” said Saltmarsh. “It could take months for flood waters to recede in the hardest-hit areas, as fears rise over threats of waterborne diseases and the safety of millions of affected people, 70 percent of whom are women and children.” 

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UPDATE: Russia blocks resolution condemning its annexation of Ukrainian regions

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New York, September 30 – Russia cast a negative vote and effectively blocked UN Security Council members from adopting a resolution that would have condemned President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine as “illegal.”

Ten of the 15 council members voted in favor of the resolution while four of them abstained. The four abstentions are China, India, Brazil and Gabon. Russia’s veto automatically killed the resolution. The veto power belongs to Russia, the US, UK, France and China which permanent council members.

The 10 members who cast the positive votes are: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Albania, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway and United Arab Emirates.

The council held a meeting to discuss issues of peace and security in Ukraine and to vote on the resolution on the same day Putin formally signed documents in Moscow to seize Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and declared that Ukrainians living in the areas are “Russian citizens forever.”

In the council meeting US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged council members to secure and protect the sovereignty of all states to ensure that “no state can take over another state.” She said the US and its supporters will now take the resolution to the 193-member UN General Assembly, where there are no vetoes.

“We want to show that the world is still on the side of sovereignty and protecting territorial integrity,” she said.

British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said in an address to the council that the area Russia is claiming to annex is more than 90,000 square km. “This is the largest forcible annexation since the Second World War.”

“Council members have voted in different ways. But one thing is clear. Not a single other member of this Council recognizes Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Russia’s veto doesn’t change that fact.”

“The international system is being assaulted in front of our eyes,” she said. “Russia will not succeed in this illegal imperialist war. The only question is how much damage they do, how many lives they waste, before they realize that.”

The Russian seizure of the Ukrainian regions was strongly condemned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as an escalation of the seven-month war in Ukraine.

“In this moment of peril, I must underscore my duty as Secretary-General to uphold the Charter of the United Nations,” Guterres said in a statement issued the day before Putin signed decrees annexing the Ukrainian territories in a ceremony in the Great Kremlin Palace. The annexation followed referenda conducted by Russia in the four territories, which the UN said were faked and not legal.

“The UN Charter is clear,” Guterres said. “Any annexation of a state’s territory by another state resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law.”

“Any decision to proceed with the annexation would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” Guterres said. “The position of the United Nations is unequivocal: we are fully committed to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.”

The UN leader reminded Putin that Russia is one of the five permanent members of the 15-nation UN Security Council, and “it shares a particular responsibility to respect the Charter.” (By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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Russian leader seizes Ukrainian regions, move condemned by the United Nations

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New York, September 30 – Russian President Vladimir Putin formally signed documents to annex four Ukrainian regions and declared that Ukrainians living in the areas are “Russian citizens forever.”

The Russian seizure of Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia was strongly condemned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as an escalation of the seven-month war in Ukraine.

“In this moment of peril, I must underscore my duty as Secretary-General to uphold the Charter of the United Nations,” Guterres said in a statement issued the day before Putin signed decrees annexing the Ukrainian territories in a ceremony in the Great Kremlin Palace. The annexation followed referenda conducted by Russia in the four territories, which the UN said were faked and not legal.

“The UN Charter is clear,” Guterres said. “Any annexation of a state’s territory by another state resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law.”

“Any decision to proceed with the annexation would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” Guterres said. “The position of the United Nations is unequivocal: we are fully committed to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.”

The UN leader reminded Putin that Russia is one of the five permanent members of the 15-nation UN Security Council, and “it shares a particular responsibility to respect the Charter.” The other four permanent members are the United States, United Kingdom, France and China. The five members have veto power over council’s decisions regarding global peace and security.

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World leaders agree Ukraine war should end as they close general debate

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New York, September 26 – World leaders ended their week-long general debate in the UN General Assembly annual session with calls to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and to reform the United Nations Security Council so it can reflect “realities of this century.”

Csaba Kőrösi, president of the 77th session of the General Assembly, closed the debate during which 190 governments delivered speeches, the largest number of in-person attendees since Covid-19 pandemic erupted in early 2020. He pointed out that only 23 women were among the 190 speakers who included 76 presidents, 50 prime ministers and the remaining were vice presidents and ministers.

Kőrösi said in his closing remarks that he sensed from the world leaders a “growing awareness that humanity has entered a new era” and that there are “significant transformations in the making.”

“We have not even got a name for the new epoch yet, we cannot scientifically describe it yet, but we feel that it has arrived,” he said. “The basic conditions of our global cooperation have changed. We live now in a different world.  A world of new challenges, changing priorities, changing roles, and changing ways.”

He said calls to end the war in Ukraine reverberated within the halls of the assembly and speakers described their pain of shortages, inflation, the impact of refugees, concern about safety of nuclear plants and fears of nuclear attacks.

“Yet, be it the largest and the most acute, the war in Ukraine is one of nearly 30 armed conflicts worldwide. And none of them is improving,” he said.

One key issue that has received strong support from world leaders is the need to modernize the United Nations, revitalize the General Assembly and reform the Security Council. 

“This is in line with my own conviction that the General Assembly should be ready to respond better to the interlocking crises and that the Security Council must reflect the realities of this century,” he said.

Nuclear blackmail won’t work

While the assembly session heard its last speakers, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a strong statement calling for an end to nuclear blackmail.

“The idea that any country could fight and win a nuclear war is deranged,” Guterres told a forum for the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, a priority that has so far eluded the organization’s decades-old efforts.

“The era of nuclear blackmail must end,” he said. “Any use of a nuclear weapon would incite a humanitarian Armageddon. We need to step back.”

President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine following serious setbacks in war efforts to conquer that country.

The UN said there are today more than 12,000 nuclear weapons and the countries that possess them have “well-funded and long-term plans to modernize their nuclear arsenals.”

 “More than half of the world’s population still lives in countries that either have such weapons or are members of nuclear alliances. While the number of deployed nuclear weapons has appreciably declined since the height of the Cold War, not one nuclear weapon has been physically destroyed pursuant to a treaty. In addition, no nuclear disarmament negotiations are currently underway.”

The world’s known nuclear powers are the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, China and France. Those five countries are also permanent members with veto power in the 15-nation Security Council which can make decisions regarding global peace and security issues.

(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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UN: Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons unacceptable

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New York, September 22 – UN Security Council members strongly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for threatening to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine and for trying to annex Ukrainian territories.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a council meeting on the war in Ukraine, “Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately.”

Foreign ministers of the council’s 15 countries attended the meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected charges made by other council members about war crimes committed in Ukraine and he accused Western countries of supporting the war by arming the government in Ukraine.

The strong reaction against nuclear threats followed Putin’s order of partial mobilization of new Russian troops to fight in Ukraine and threat to “use all means available to us” if Russia is threatened.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteres said, “This senseless war has unlimited potential to do terrible harm – in Ukraine, and around the world. The idea of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, has become a subject of debate. This in itself is totally unacceptable.”

“Any annexation of a state’s territory by another state resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the UN Charter and of international law,” he said.

Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court based at The Hague, Netherlands, said he had opened an investigation on alleged war crimes in Ukraine in March. He told the council that he planned to send new teams next week to gather evidence into possible war crimes in eastern Ukraine.

Khan said there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that crimes have been committed in the war. “The picture that I’ve seen so far is troubling indeed,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy virtually addressed the UN General Assembly on September 21 saying that crimes have been committed against Ukraine, “and we demand just punishment.”

“The crime was committed against our state borders. The crime was committed against the lives of our people. The crime was committed against the dignity of our women and men.

The crime was committed against the values that make you and me a community of the United Nations,” he said. “And Ukraine demands punishment for trying to steal our territory. Punishment for the murders of thousands of people. Punishment for tortures and humiliations of women and men.”

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US President Biden condemns Russia’s war in Ukraine, urges UN reform

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New York, September 21 – US President Joe Biden told the annual UN General Assembly session that Russia’s war in Ukraine is an affront to the world and called for reforming the UN Security Council in which Russia has veto power over decisions on global peace and security.

Biden delivered a strong condemnation of Russia, saying the country “is friend of no one” in the world and it has “shamelessly violated the core tenets of the UN Charter with its brutal, needless war” in Ukraine.

Biden’s speech captured the attention of the 193-nation assembly session with his strong condemnation of the war and determination to assist Ukraine. He said Russia’s nuclear threats against Europe is a “reckless disregard” for its own responsibilities as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

UN Security Council

Biden called for enlarging the membership of the UN Security Council, which currently has 15 countries, including Russia, the US, United Kingdom, France and China which are permanent members with veto power. Russia has vetoed resolutions that condemned its military invasion of Ukraine.

Biden said the council should be reformed to include countries from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Talks to reform the council have been going on for over two decades, but the issue of weakening the permanent members’ veto power has remained a stumbling block.

UN Charter and ideals in jeopardy, world divided by multiple crises

The assembly session opened its 77th session on September 21 dominated by the on-going war in Ukraine, conflicts in many countries, climate disasters and a worsening global economy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the session saying that the world is in “rough seas” with global discontent this coming winter topped by a raging crisis of rising cost of living and other problems.

“The United Nations Charter (or constitution) and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy. We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age. These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of our planet.”

He said the “geopolitical divides” are undermining the work of the UN Security Council – the highest UN responsible for world peace and security – international law and people’s trust and faith in democratic institutions.

Most of the 193 UN member states are represented by their presidents and prime ministers in the largest in-person attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic break out. The exception is Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will deliver his address in a pre-recorded video.

The war in Ukraine, which started with Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year, remained a top concern. UN officials and some governments have accused Russia of violating the UN Charter, human rights of Ukrainians and committing war crimes.

French President Emmanuel Macron in his speech denounced the invasion, saying

“What we’ve seen since February 24 is a return to the age of imperialism and colonies. France rejects this. France, obstinately, will look for peace.”

Turkeye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who helped broker the deal to export Ukraine’s wheat and food stuffs through the Black Sea, said, “We need to find together a reasonable, just and viable diplomatic solution that will provide both sides the opportunity of an “honorable exit.”

He called for reforming the Security Council into “a more effective, democratic, transparent and accountable structure” by increasing the number of permanent members. “The world is bigger than five (permanent members). A fairer world is possible,” he said.

(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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Countries told UN Charter and ideals in jeopardy, world divided by multiple crises

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New York, September 20 – The United Nations General Assembly opened its 77th session dominated by the on-going war in Ukraine, conflicts in many countries, climate disasters and a worsening global economy.

The strong warnings came from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who opened the annual session by saying that the world is in “rough seas” with global discontent this coming winter topped by a raging crisis of rising cost of living and other problems.

He admitted: “The United Nations Charter (or constitution) and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy. We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age. These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of our planet.”

He said the “geopolitical divides” are undermining the work of the UN Security Council – the highest UN responsible for world peace and security – international law and people’s trust and faith in democratic institutions.

Most of the 193 UN member states will be represented by their presidents and prime ministers in the largest in-person attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic break out. The exception is Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will deliver his address in a pre-recorded video.

The assembly session, known also as general debate from September 20-26, is taking place under the theme A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges. It reflects the intense and critical time the world went under the pandemic, the Russian war in Ukraine, climate calamities and food and energy high prices.

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The San Francisco Conference in the spring of 1945, taking place while World War II was ending, resulted in the creation of the United Nations. The journalists excelled in their coverage of the historic event. They were the first United Nations correspondents. They continue today the task of reporting on UN activities around the world.

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