INTERVIEW: the top diplomat shepherding the General Assembly through its 75th year

H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President-elect of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Credit: UN Photo/Mark GartenBy External SourceNEW YORK, Sep 14 2020 (IPS) The Turkish diplomat elected to be the president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, is taking on the role as the Organization grapples with an unprecedented pandemic, and questions surrounding the future direction it should take. Mr. Bozkir, a highly experienced public servant, and recently Minister for European Affairs, with almost 50 years of professional experience, was elected from the Western European and Others (WEOG) group of nations, and follows Nigeria’s Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. Mr. Bozkir joined Turkey’s foreign service in 1972, and has held several senior diplomatic positions, including Consul General in New York, Ambassador in Bucharest, and Permanent Representative of Turkey to the EU. Ahead of the 75th session, Mr. Bozkir sat down with UN News, to discuss how to ensure that the UN stays relevant in the decades to come, why it is he will be making the protection of vulnerable people and communities a key issue during his year in the presidency, and how he intends to cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. GA President: Of course, COVID-19 has become an overwhelming priority and focus right now. That is why I chose to adapt the theme for the 75th session of the UN. Member States chose the theme: “The future we want, the United Nations we need:...
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