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UN Security Council may continue working remotely within next two months

31 March 2020 10:45 (UTC +04:00)

The UN Security Council may continue to work remotely during the next two months, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said on Monday, APA reports citing TASS.

"I believe that in the foreseeable future, if we look at that realistically, in April-May, the remote work system will continue," he said.

Polyansky also noted that the status of video conferences could not be equated with regular Security Council meetings. "The UN Charter says clearly that briefings and consultations are Security Council ‘meetings.’ We do not want to set a precedent or create a legal problem, so we agreed that all video conference meetings will have the status of informal consultations."

Since March 16, almost all staff members at the UN headquarters in New York were requested to telecommute, while the Security Council stopped holding meetings in the usual way.