The United Nations Office at Geneva is now set to reopen after the lockdown imposed in Switzerland to battle the Covid 19 pandemic began easing from May 19.
The European nation’s federal council has decided to further relax the lockdown imposed from June 6. According to the Director-General of Geneva’s UN office, Tatiana Valovaya said that initially a limited number of staffers will be called to work from June 8 onwards.
The UN and the Swiss authorities both have decided to remain vigilant and maintain social distancing as well as to follow health regulations while using technology for communication as much as possible going forward.
Accordingly, duties that have been carried out through communication technology will continue while restrictions on holding meetings personally are set to be somewhat relaxed.
After June 9, up to 300 people will be allowed to attend meetings while organizers will be tasked to ensure that the risks of contracting Covid 19 are minimized through implementing the necessary plans.
Valovaya could not say, however, whether the UN Human Rights Council session scheduled for the end of June would take place. This was a decision for UN member states, she was reported as saying.
Coronavirus has shown that it is “more important than ever” to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals according to Valovaya. She said an online discussion was planned for the end of June on how the crisis has affected the labor market around the world.
