(Bloomberg) -- World leaders arriving in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly this month will see few signs of the austerity measures that envoys and employees have endured in recent months.
Many of the cutbacks put in place by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres amid a historic liquidity crisis — from limited hours for entry gates and meetings to reduced air-conditioning — are being suspended to guarantee that the world body’s annual signature event runs smoothly.
The pause will be in effect from Sept. 22-30 as world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are expected to address the gathering.
“Given the importance of the forthcoming high-level week, the secretary-general has decided to lift temporarily some of the measures pertaining to operating hours and meeting support,” Courtenay Rattray, Guterres’ chef de cabinet, wrote in a Sept. 6 letter to the head of the General Assembly.
He said the UN is committed “to supporting the work of the General Assembly and all mandated intergovernmental meetings taking place at United Nations Headquarters.”
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