US urges UN reform ahead of assuming council presidency

WASHINGTON

The new US ambassador to the UN said Thursday that the Biden administration is "clear eyed” about the need to reform the international body, days before the country takes over the presidency of the Security Council.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was speaking to reporters at UN headquarters after presenting her credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the representative of the US.

"We’re clear-eyed about the difficult work that needs to be done, from elevating human rights to reforming the UN itself, to addressing conflicts old and new around the world," said Thomas-Greenfield. "And we look forward to engaging our allies and our partners to get it done.”

"After all, we’re stronger when we are working together," she noted.

The new envoy called the UN the world’s most important forum for bringing people and countries together and said she takes it "seriously" as a US diplomat.

"As I made clear in my testimony to the US Senate, this administration knows that when America is at the table and acting in accordance with our values, the United States is an indispensable institution for the advancement of peace, security and collective well-being," she added.

The US will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council on Monday.

"So I’ve not only had to hit the ground running, I’m actually hitting the ground sprinting...And I’ll have more to say to you on our presidency later," she told reporters.

"I’ll repeat what I said when I first was nominated by the president for this honor. What I said is: Multilateralism is back, and diplomacy is back, and America is back, and we’re ready to get to work.”