Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, promising a “strengthened partnership” on a host of issues from coronavirus to climate, all predicated on a resumption of access to U.S. taxpayer dollars.
According to a readout of the call, Biden thanked Guterres for his praise and said he looked forward to a new era of cooperation.
“They discussed the need for a strengthened partnership between the United States and the United Nations on urgent global issues, including combatting COVID-19 and building resilience to future public health challenges, confronting the threat of climate change, addressing humanitarian need, advancing sustainable development, upholding peace and security and resolving conflicts; and promoting democracy and human rights,” the readout said.
Biden’s warm embrace of the U.N. and its ambitions stands in contrast to U.S. President Donald Trump who has been highly critical of the organization, calling it to account and withdrawing the U.S. from key U.N. agencies and agreements while cutting funding to bloated U.N. bureaucracies.
Under the Trump Administration, Washington has formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.), pulled out from the Paris Climate Agreement, the United Nations Human Rights Council as well as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), besides ending funding to the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
Biden has pledged his administration would rejoin the historic Paris Agreement on climate change while returning funding, a move that has already been welcomed at the body.
The European Union is another body that has applauded Biden, saying “things are going to get a lot easier” because he will be diplomatic putty compared to a combative Donald Trump, as Breitbart News reported.
Trump also stood up to NATO and the refusal of most – but not all – of its members to pay their way rather than rely on U.S. taxpayer funds and forces to carry the load in Europe.
The president made no secret of the fact the organization was not pulling its weight financially and left the U.S. to “pay and bleed” for Europe’s defense.
The exchange between Biden and Guterres came hours after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company is ready to play its part in a potential Biden administration with its coronavirus vaccine response, as Breitbart News reported.
Mark Zuckerberg said in a livestreamed interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci that Facebook is trying to work with Joe Biden defining ways the social media giant can help a potential Biden administration enact its policies.
The Facebook CEO mentioned a “push around authoritative information on vaccines,” but did not go on to elaborate on what that would entail.
The Financial Times recently reported Facebook plans a major push to encourage the site’s users to get a coronavirus vaccine — as well as incentivize users to share content related to the Paris climate agreement.