The United Nations flag is seen is seen during the Climate Action Summit 2019 at the United Nations General Assembly Hall September 23, 2019 in New York City.
For once, Midtown Manhattan will not be bunkered down in a frenzy of motorcades, and there will be no speculation of breakthrough meetings.
Leaders instead have been invited to send in pre-recorded messages, to be played over the coming week in the vast General Assembly where each delegation can send a single masked diplomat.
The summit in normal years draws about 10,000 people from around the world, a prospect that is unthinkable at a time when nations have imposed strict entrance requirements to prevent the spread of Covid-19, which has claimed nearly 950,000 lives.
United Nations, United States,
The United Nations General Assembly, the annual extravaganza of world leaders' speeches and round-the-clock diplomacy, opens Tuesday in a quiet hall as a virtual summit addresses the global crisis of Covid-19.
