The best part of my job is travelling & meeting the women and men who serve in the field under our 🇺🇳. It helps me recharge my 🔋 so as to best defend the organization every day.
Thank you to the great
@UN_Ukraine
team taking such good care of
@antonioguterres
during his visit. The work you do under dangerous conditions is an inspiration to us all.
This is the room where it all happens.
It’s still quiet at 7:25a but will be standing room only at 9a for the kick off of the Super Bowl of Diplomacy.
#UNGA
Watch it all here:
I had the privilege of speaking on his behalf but today I find it hard to speak. He never stopped working to make this world a better place for, as he used to say, "the young ones." (UN Photo/Evan Schneider)
I am French and my wife is Italian. We have many culinary disagreements (oil vs butter) but one thing we agree on is that
@NYTimes
is wrong. Putting cheese on a baguette and then putting in the oven does NOT make a pizza!!!
I love this photo. During the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, civil rights activists carry the UN flag in tandem with the American flag. So much courage and hope in that picture.
#MLKDay
📸: James Karales.
I miss the tens of thousands of tourists who visit the UN every year but the emptiness is also an opportunity to admire the architectural gem that is our headquarters.
I had the privilege of speaking on his behalf but today I find it hard to speak. He never stopped working to make this world a better place for, as he used to say, "the young ones." (UN Photo/Evan Schneider)
Prior to the start of a special meeting on Ukraine, delegates in the General Assembly observe a minute of silence for the victims of the conflict in Ukraine.
One of my favorite days of the year at the UN - it's front seat bingo! Once a year the boss picks the name of member state out of a box to determine which country gets to sit the pole position during the next GA session. This year's winner - Suriname.
I have been a proud New Yorker since 1974 and a dedicated UN staffer since 2000. Today was a great day of solidarity and an opportunity for us to give back to the Big 🍎 that hosts us so generously.
#COVID19
I have never felt more proud to be the Commissioner for International Affairs.
NYC is the epicenter of Covid-19 so we asked our neighbors, our fellow New Yorkers at the
@UN
for help.
THANK YOU: 250,000 surgical masks heading to our hospitals to protect our healthcare workers.
Week two of “working from home” with three kids video-learning is about start. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out the right balance between ☕️ & 🍷 for this new home life.
We are committed to finding ways to create the conditions for effective dialogue and the conditions for a ceasefire as soon as possible
@antonioguterres
says at the start of meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
First day back at work after some leave and who is the first person I see as I board the elevator....Chloe, the UN's own therapy dog. It must be a sign but not sure what about.
.
@WFP
is so deserving of the
#NobelPeacePrize
. I've witnessed first-hand the dedication of its staff who feed millions on the front lines. It's simple : without food there can be no peace. (Plus they have cool planes and they gave me a very useful backpack.)
A first at a UN briefing: a marriage announcement!
A big congratulations to
@undp
Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh and
@UN
Road Safety Envoy
@JeanTodt
who finally tied the knot! 👩❤️👨💍🍰!
Since Monday the
@UN
flag has been flying at half-staff in solidarity with our extraordinary host community. It will remain so while New York is on PAUSE.
#COVID19
📸:
@UN_Photo
As a hectic week comes to a close, we decided it was time to focus on the holidays and decorate the traditional Spokesperson’s Office
#Festivus
Tree of Credentials.
#TBT
to simpler times in a pre-
#Covid19
world when a UN Secretary-General could take the 4 train from Grand Central to City Hall to meet with
@BilldeBlasio
. 📸:
@gcwingman
"More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together." -
#KofiAnnan
Three years ago today, our founding chair passed away, but his words still ring true.
Of all the offices of heads of state I've had the privilege to see, none is more beautiful than the Quirinale. Built as a summer residence for Pope Gregory XIII it now houses the President of Italy. Most spectacular part is the Mascarino Staircase. The ceilings aren't bad either!
The United Nations is requiring all media to be vaccinated against
#COVID19
if they want to enter U.N. headquarters in New York 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Not everyone is happy about. Or understands how
#VaccinesWork
This is an exchange from today’s
@UN_Spokesperson
briefing with
@StephDujarric
👇🏻
A central part of
#UNGA
is the dozens of bilateral meetings hosted by
@antonioguterres
. Our amazing protocol colleagues have to work fast to make every meeting perfect.
Today is
#WorldHumanitarianDay
. Why August 19th? On that day in Baghdad 22 people were murdered when terrorists attacked the UN compound. Today we remember the fallen but also very much the survivors - many continue to serve with
@UN
the cause of peace and justice.
From communication specialists to top-level senior officials...
Humanitarian advocates urge world leaders to pay attention to forgotten crises and take action.
#ItTakesAVillage
to support people in need, and 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 are indispensable.
A good day at work. Wa Lone & Kyaw Soe Oo,
@Reuters
journalists jailed in Myanmar came to visit. They met SG & colleagues who worked publicly & privately for their freedom. We, & many others, repeatedly called for their release. Sadly, it's all too rare that the story ends well.
This is what courage looks like. In June 1940 in Bordeaux, Sousa Mendes issued visas to my grandfather, my mother and her sisters allowing them to escape to the US.
Back in the safety of New York, my thoughts remain with the millions of people caught up in this war and my colleagues doing their utmost to help them.
"There is no way a war can be acceptable in the 21st century."
--
@antonioguterres
visited Ukraine this week where he viewed the war's destruction and stressed that civilians are paying the highest price.
Mustapha was laid to rest today in DRC, following yesterday's attack that took his life. For 16 years, he served with commitment, dedication and bravery as a
@WFP
driver. He will be greatly missed by us all. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
From today's noon briefing: Guernica tapestry returned on request to owner Nelson Rockefeller Jr. The tapestry, a moving reminder of the horrors of war, hung outside the
@UN
Security Council stakeout for thirty-five years.
A sad day for
@UNPeacekeeping
- Four peacekeepers were killed today in Mali & the Central African Republic. They gave their lives to bring peace to the people of these beleaguered countries. The international community needs to honor their sacrifice by ensuring accountability.
I strongly condemn attacks in Central African Rep& Mali agnst blue helmets. 3 Ivorian soldiers
@UN_MINUSMA
&1 Rwandan soldier
@UN_CAR
killed. Condolences to Côte d’Ivoire,Rwanda &the families,and best wishes for recovery to injured peacekeepers. Accountability for attacks needed.
It is not every day that the haunting words of the Kaddish reverberates in the GA hall. Today is not everyday. Today we mark the 75th anniversary of libration of Auschwitz. In the face of resurgent antisemitism our solidarity & vigilance cannot waiver.
#HolocaustRemembrance
20 years ago, we lost 22 colleagues in a terrorist attack on
@UN
offices in Baghdad.
As Kofi Annan said at the time, the service of the UN is not simply a job.
It is a calling & those who have attacked us will not deflect us from it.
#WorldHumanitarianDay
Really enjoying biking to work along the East River Greenway. You beat the traffic and, once in a while, you pass a jogging nun.
#BikeNYC
#Cycleplomacy
On this very important day - the 5th anniversary of the
#ParisAgreement
, we recommit ourselves to even more ambitious
#ClimateAction
. And yes, Bogart said it best!
Today, April 8 2021,
#KofiAnnan
would have turned 83.
His values and vision still guide the work of his Foundation.
Read all about it in our Annual Report 📖:
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, after 4 months taking questions from home, began one daily press briefing with "reminder, I'm in a really lousy mood today."
.
@UN
remote working in age of
#Covid19
.
@UN_Spokesperson
@StephDujarric
"despite all working from home, the business of the UN has continued full throttle." A diplomat "people have been extremely productive with fewer meetings & traveling."
Good advice from
@ToilyKurbanov
. Brian Urquhart’s book should also be read (or re-read) by those of us who have been
@UN
for a while. It’s a good reminder of the ideals that need to guide our work day in and day out.
To anyone starting UN career or interested in joining the organization, I recommend Brian Urquhart's 'A Life in Peace and War'. Look it up in your local library, Amazon or eBay; definitely worth reading
Not sure if this is a sad sign of the times or very clever marketing campaign 👉 Classic Irish pub "McFadden's Saloon" is morphing into an urgent care facility.
Tonight, the iconic
@EmpireStateBldg
will light up in all blue for
#UNday
🇺🇳, and for 🌍 solidarity.
Let us together realize our shared vision of a better world, for all.
A very happy
#UN75
Anniversary to the
@UN
from NYC!
#NewZealand
settling new benchmark in inclusive Parliament!
"Speaker of the House
#TrevorMallard
today happily fed MP Tāmati Coffey’s baby son Tūtānekai Smith-Coffey
after coming back from paternity leave. The House speaker babysat for him during a debate"
(📷: Trevor Mallard)
Just finished Loraine Siever’s (of
@SCProcedure
fame) delightful thriller “an UNwilling Spy.” Seems that working at the
#UN
in the 70s was much more exciting than it is today!
Looking back on 75 years of the 🇺🇳 much has been done but "we the peoples" who have the privilege of working at the
#UN
must continue to work hard every single day to achieve the ideals enshrined in the Charter and leave no one behind.
#UNDay
I’m not the only one to opt today for a commute in the fresh air on the water instead of underground or in a crowded bus. Fortunate to have
@NYCferryservice
!
The view from the General Assembly podium just before
#UNGA
gets underway. As for the speeches from this podium, they are a bit like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get. Expect the unexpected.
#UNGA
This is truly sad news. Working on a project with Martti Ahtisaari years ago was an honor & amazing learning experience. Mr. Ahtisaari is a true peace maker. Thinking of him and his family at his difficult time.
@cmioffice
Congrats to
@nycHealthy
for running efficient vaccination centers. Volunteered to help more than 1200 people get their 💉 at Philip Randolph HS. I got a surplus jab as a thank you!
.
@antonioguterres
talks to
@ViceNews
about his work to improve multilateralism, his fight against racism and his efforts to ensure vaccine access for all. Watch here: 👇
“The problem of the UN is that our multilateralism has no teeth. Our power in the UN is the power of persuasion, is the power of speaking up, is the power of denouncing what needs to be denounced. But we cannot order countries to do what they must do.”
#VWN
We are kicking off
#UNGA78
Yes, there may be gridlock in the streets (sorry NY), but inside world leaders will need to find a clear path forward and show compromise to confront the pressing global issues of our time.
For more on the week ahead 👇👇👇
Ralph Bunche: A leading US civil rights activist; a devoted international civil servant; the first African-American Nobel Peace Prize winner; the architect of UN peacekeeping; a drafter of the UN charter.
Secretary-General
@antonioguterres
encourages everyone that has access to the
#Covid19
vaccine to use it. Getting vaccinated is a moral obligation and a service that we not only provide to ourselves but to the whole community.
.
@UN_Spokesperson
was just told by a journalist that the
#Pentagon
recently released info on
#UFOs
and asked how
@antonioguterres
plans to prioritise UN communication with extra-terrestrials. He replied that UNSG will be as ready to speak with non-humans as humans.
@AlanYuhas
Hey,
@RichadBranson
,
@elonmusk
and
@JeffBezos
, so excited to see you compete on who gets to space first! BUT, I would love to see you TEAM up together to save the 41 million people who are about to starve this year on Earth! It only takes $6 Billion. We can solve this quickly!
Proud to work for this guy. 👇👇👇 “Inequality starts at the top: in global institutions. Addressing inequality must start by reforming them” -
@antonioguterres
#MandelaDay
I love walking in this building every day of the year except perhaps the day after the
#SuperBowl
. This maybe the office building in the US where yesterday's game will not be discussed in the traditional morning meetings.