WARSAW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2020) The delay of the General Debate of the 75th UN General Assembly would have ramifications for the work of the assembly, but it is hard to imagine the session running as usual amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Polish Foreign Ministry told Sputnik, following the UN chief's suggestion to make it partially virtual and limited to attendance.
In a letter to the president of the General Assembly, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed holding the General Debate in September in a "different format" with "pre-recorded messages provided by heads of state and government or ministers" and a physical presence in the hall limited to one delegate per delegation based in New York.
According to the Polish ministry, the UN chief's recommendation is a "natural corollary of the epidemiological situation in New York."
The ministry at the same time believes that "the postponement of the General Debate may have a number of consequences for the work of the General Assembly and, above all, its plenary sessions and the work of certain committees."
Warsaw, however, finds it "difficult to imagine" the possibility of organizing the session as usual in the current situation.
The 75th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to run from September 15-30. Every September, the UN's largest annual gathering at the organization's headquarters in Manhattan attracts thousands of delegates.
