UN summit to discuss post-pandemic global governance

Niger, the current president of the UN Security Council, said Tuesday it will organize a September 24 videoconference between heads of state to discuss the future of global governance following the coronavirus pandemic.

The summit will debate “post-Covid-19 global governance in relation to the maintenance of international peace and security,” Niger’s UN Ambassador Abdou Abarry told journalists while presenting the Council’s program for the month.

The session will take place during the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders, which will take place this year mainly by videoconference due to the pandemic.

“This will be an opportunity for our leaders to have political discussions on the need to adapt the current international system embodied by the United Nations and the Security Council in order to effectively face traditional threats to security such as conflicts, but also new threats such as organized crime and pandemics,” Abarry said.

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou will chair the summit, with participation by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, Abarry said.

When asked about the attendance of US President Donald Trump, who often opposes multilateralism and cooperation with international organizations, the ambassador said “we expect the participation of all heads of state and they will all receive an invitation from the president of Niger.”

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© Agence France-Presse

/AFP