New York authorities said that people "entering UN buildings to enter the General Assembly meeting room are required to show proof of vaccination." This is in line with city rules.
However, UN Secretary-General Guterres disagrees, as “the secretariat cannot tell the head of any state that without vaccination he will not be allowed to enter a United Nations agency”.
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The UN headquarters in Manhattan is not subject to American law, as it is considered an international territory. However, officials from this organization have previously made a pledge to comply with local and national recommendations regarding the pandemic. New York recommendation - you can only gather indoors after being vaccinated against COVID-19.
The city is ready to instill all presidents and diplomats
“We discussed with the municipality different ways to get the maximum number of people vaccinated. The City of New York has put vaccination funds at our disposal. So the visitors will have the opportunity to get vaccinated, ”Guterres said.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will provide COVID-19 testing and a single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at UN headquarters next week for all Assembly attendees wishing to be vaccinated.
General Assembly President Abdullah Shahid sent a letter to his colleagues at the UN. He stated that he strongly supported the requirement to provide certificates of vaccination.
He intends to work with the Secretary General to meet this requirement "as soon as possible." In turn, Mayor de Blasio thanked the President of the UN General Assembly for this.
Russia cannot remain silent
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on September 15 that Moscow opposes this demand. He called this step “discrimination”. In a letter to his UN colleagues, Nebenzya even called for a special meeting of the General Assembly to discuss this issue.
According to "Ukrinfrom“Mayor de Blasio tartly commented on Nebenzi’s statement.
“If the Russian ambassador is against it, then I am for it,” de Blasio told reporters, referring to the mandatory vaccination, but it sounded much broader.
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The mayor believes that if Russian diplomats do not trust Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, this does not exempt them from the requirement of vaccination - they have the right to be vaccinated by anyone else.
Officials in both New York and the UN admitted on September 16 that the issue of mandatory vaccinations remains open.
