Special report: The UN goes virtual for the General Assembly

UN General Assembly | The UN goes virtual for its biggest gathering | UN members: Cooperation is crucial in this moment Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( October 5, 2020 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT A New Look For the 75th General Assembly [] UN General Assembly General Assembly building (UN Photo/Rick Bajornas) [] The UN goes virtual for its biggest gathering The United Nations' first General Assembly, in 1946, was held in person in London. Last month's session, the 75th, was technically held in New York City but was a virtual event, with world leaders representing nearly 200 member states presenting over video. This SmartBrief on Leadership Special Report looks at the happenings of the world's most high-profile leadership gathering as the UN, like everyone else, adjusted to life during the pandemic. Read on for highlights of the sessions, resources for further reading and a video of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' words to the world. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Science shapes our world. It should also shape policy. Science helps us to make informed decisions. So when science talks, shouldn't policymakers listen? While 84 percent of people support bringing science into policymaking, just over 50 percent think their government is doing a good job in ensuring that science and scientific evidence are included in decision-making processes. [Read more.]( ADVERTISEMENT:   [] What Happened At the General Assembly? [] [UN members: Cooperation is crucial in this moment]( UN members: Cooperation is crucial in this moment Macron (Petras Malukas/Getty Images) World leaders speaking at the General Assembly acknowledged how United Nations member states and the Security Council are struggling to cooperate on crucial issues, including pandemic response. "Our societies have never been so interdependent, and at the very moment when all this is happening, never have we been so out of tune, so out of alignment," said French President Emmanuel Macron. Full Story: [The Associated Press]( (9/28) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Guterres: Vaccines must remain "a global public good"]( Efforts to contain and eradicate the coronavirus featured heavily in many leaders' video addresses to the United Nations General Assembly last month, and both the US and Russia touted their vaccine development programs. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized wealthy countries for prioritizing the procurement of vaccines for their populations, warning that "none of us is safe, until all of us are safe." Full Story: [Hindustan Times (India)/Press Trust of India]( (9/22), [Voice of America]( (9/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Teen tells UNGA about pandemic effects on women, girls]( Mayela Dayeh, a 16-year-old student from Australia, addressed this year's United Nations General Assembly, presenting the results of Plan International research on how the pandemic is affecting young women and girls. "It's just so unimaginable for a 16-year-old to [speak at the UN], and it was absolutely such an honor honestly, to be chosen as one of the youngest people there," she said. Full Story: [The Feed]( (9/24), [The Guardian (London)]( (9/23) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [UN session focuses on Yemen famine]( Yemen's famine was the subject of a United Nations General Assembly session, with government leader Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi seeking more aid delivery and World Food Programme leader David Beasley warning that the world can't wait to address famine's threat to Yemen. Separately during the General Assembly, the UN announced that government forces and Houthi rebels agreed to a prisoner swap. Full Story: [The New York Times (tiered subscription model)]( (9/24), [The Associated Press]( (9/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] - [Virtual General Assembly draws leaders who don't often participate]( The Associated Press (9/23) [] - [Analysis: Video backgrounds offer a new form of diplomacy]( The Associated Press (9/26) Embracing Science for Better: If not now, when? 77% are hopeful that science can deliver solutions to society's problems. What's holding back progress? [Learn more about this international survey]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] General Assembly News and Resources [] The United Nations offers schedules, recaps and video coverage of the 75th General Assembly. Learn more at these links: - [General Assembly schedule]( - [High-level highlights of GA sessions]( - ["Declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations"]( - [UN's YouTube coverage]( [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Secretary-General Video Spotlight [] [] [Guterres: Leadership needed with COVID-19 going forward]( United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the general debate of the 75th General Assembly on Sept. 22, discussing topics such as the pandemic's ongoing effects on the world. Strong leadership is especially needed today because "COVID-19 is not only a wakeup call, it's a dress rehearsal for the world of challenges to come," Guterres says in this video. Full Story: [YouTube/United Nations]( (9/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] [Keep up to date on the United Nations]( [UN Wire]( shares the latest news affecting the United Nations, United Nations Foundation and the international community each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. [Sign up]( to receive this free resource from SmartBrief. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( SmartBrief publishes more than 200 free industry newsletters - [Browse our portfolio]( [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Advertise with SmartBrief]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy policy]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004