国际英语资讯:UN-sponsored side events at headquarters in New York canceled_时事

国际英语资讯:UN-sponsored side events at headquarters in New York canceled

UNITED NATIONS, March 12 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, reacting to the coronavirus crisis, has cancelled all UN system-sponsored side events at headquarters in New York, but not legislative meetings such as for the General Assembly and Security Council, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, also said the UN chief urges all 193 member states to consider cancelling all side events they are sponsoring.

President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of the General Assembly already has postponed to an unspecified date the Youth Plenary in preparation for commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, said his spokeswoman, Reem Abaza. It was slated for March 31-April 2.

国际英语资讯:UN-sponsored side events at headquarters in New York canceled1

The related Economic and Social Council Youth Forum also was postponed.

The decision to postpone was taken "given recent developments related to the global health emergency (COVID-19) and guided by risk assessments carried out by the UN Secretariat," said a UN website notice.

Abaza also said Muhammad-Bande sent a letter to member states, "strongly" recommending canceling side events in March and April, scaling down the number of people at gatherings within UN premises and encouraging delegations to limit participation at meetings to no more than two New York-based delegates and holding meetings in larger rooms.

Dujarric said the secretary-general was sending a letter Thursday to member states explaining that "a three-phase response activation system to manage and coordinate health emergencies is in place and that UN headquarters in New York is currently in phase two, which is an active risk reduction mode."