New York [US], December 3 (ANI): Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India is participating in a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in Response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic that began at the UN Headquarters here on December 3 and will continue till December 4.

A total of 156 dignitaries, including Swarup, are participating oin the will take part in the general debate of the session.

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The opening segment of the session was initiated by Volkan Bozkir, President of the General Assembly, and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The first day of the special session on Thursday consists of an opening segment, followed by a general debate that focuses on the experiences of Member States.

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The special session provides an opportunity for the international community to assess and hone its collective response to this pandemic, according to the UN.

An interactive dialogue on December 4, will entail a series of moderated panels covering key aspects of the impact and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the UN system's health and humanitarian response to date; the road to a COVID-19 vaccine and the socio-economic impact and recovering better. (ANI)

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