SEOUL– U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield will attend a virtual conference on U.N. peacekeeping hosted by the Seoul government next week, according to her office.
Thomas-Greenfield will lead the U.S. delegation to the virtual 2021 U.N. Peacekeeping Ministerial hosted by Seoul on Dec. 7 and 8 to reaffirm U.S. commitment to improving peacekeeping operations, the U.S. Mission to the U.N. said Friday (local time).
“U.N. peacekeeping missions are one of the most effective tools the global community has to respond to violence and conflict,” Thomas-Greenfield said in a release. “That’s why the United States is the largest funder of U.N. peacekeeping in the world, and that’s why I am looking forward to this year’s U.N. Peacekeeping Ministerial.”
The senior U.S. diplomat initially considered in-person participation at the conference but changed plans as Seoul turned the in-person conference into a virtual event due to the omicron variant, according to informed sources. The sessions will be livestreamed on YouTube and U.N. Web TV.
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook will co-chair the event, with the U.N. peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and two other senior U.N. officials present in person.
Source: Yonhap News Agency