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UNGA converts into global stage of virtual diplomacy

The U.N. General Assembly opened its first virtual meeting of world leaders, forced by the pandemic to turn its global stage for diplomacy into a ghost village.

Security Council and General Assembly chambers at U.N. headquarters in New York
Security Council and General Assembly chambers at U.N. headquarters in New York (AN/Bud Ellison)

UNITED NATIONS (AN) — The U.N. General Assembly opened its first virtual meeting of world leaders and government officials on Tuesday, forced by the coronavirus pandemic to convert its global stage for diplomacy into a ghost village of video conferences and pre-recorded speeches.

Despite being sidelined at home, leaders from 193 U.N. member nations began a meeting that promised to be more cerebral than visceral. Gone were the face-to-face meetings and chance encounters in backrooms, corridors and hotels around the world body's sprawling complex.

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