The Biden administration publicly affirmed its desire to embrace the United Nations and all its causes Thursday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had their first call since the U.S. rejoined the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization.
Spokesperson Ned Price issued a statement saying Blinken praised the U.N. while promising the U.S.’s “interest in close coordination” with the group’s globalist causes.
“Underscoring President Biden’s focus on bringing the pandemic under control, the Secretary praised the central role the U.N. and U.N. agencies play in coordinating our global response, highlighted the U.S. reengagement with the World Health Organization, and expressed our deepened focus on promoting health and advancing global health security,” Price said of the call, The Hill reports.
Guterres spoke directly to Biden back in January when the two shared their happiness at the new president’s stated goals and the “new era of cooperation” that lay ahead.
This time Blinken and Guterres canvassed the Climate Accords with Blinken acknowledging the U.N.’s help with the “global climate crisis.” Syria and Ethiopia were also on the agenda. Price said:
On Syria, both reaffirmed their commitment to the political process under U.N. Security Council resolution 2254 and the extension of a cross-border authorization to deliver aid and help relieve the suffering of the Syrian people. On Ethiopia, both reconfirmed their commitment to support Ethiopia’s efforts to respond to the crisis in Tigray.
The phone call comes after Breitbart News reported the U.S. would rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that Trump pulled out of in 2018.
Variously described as a “bully pulpit for human rights violators,” then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the UNHRC is “a haven for dictators and the democracies that indulge them.”
Guterres applauded the decision to rejoin U.N. agencies and said the peace-keeping body “looks forward” to incorporate the “crucial voice” of Washington across the council’s urgent work.
Blinken said in a statement on Monday the Biden administration has “re-committed the United States to a foreign policy centred on democracy, human rights, and equality.”
Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric in a brief statement replied, “The Human Rights Council is the world’s leading forum for addressing the full range of human rights challenges. The Council’s mechanisms and special procedures are vital tools for ensuring action and accountability.”
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