WASHINGTON – Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin will attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Cardin, a Democrat, will travel to New York this weekend as a representative of the United States to the U.N. to meet with world leaders, the senator said in an interview Tuesday with Capital News Service.
Cardin said his message to the General Assembly will include “support for Ukraine, put a spotlight on the Sudan – the tragedies that are taking place there – and to try to find a way in which we can move towards the hostage release, cease-fire and peace in the Middle East.”
“We know it’s an incredible opportunity, in regards to Ukraine, we’re gonna have this week, and I expect to use that,” Cardin said.
President Joe Biden announced his nominations for U.S. representatives to the U.N. on Sept. 9. Along with Cardin, Biden nominated Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, former Biden-Harris campaign official Tanya Leigh Flores and Michael Trager, vice chairman of the State Department’s Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
“Currently serving as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Cardin has worked across party lines to further U.S. national security and to ensure that democracy, anti-corruption, transparency, good governance and respect for civil and human rights are integrated into American actions at home and abroad,” the White House said in a statement.
Cardin served as a U.S. representative to the U.N. General Assembly in 2014 after being nominated by President Barack Obama.
The assembly opened on Sept. 10 and will continue until Sept. 28, with meetings among top government officials beginning on Tuesday. The assembly convenes once a year, and this year’s theme is “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.”
Member states at the assembly will discuss a variety of issues, from rising sea levels to artificial intelligence and equitable financing for low-income countries.
“I’m honored to have President Biden’s trust to represent our country at the United Nations General Assembly,” Cardin said in a tweet on Sept. 10. “Looking forward to productive, unifying conversations.”
The Senate has yet to vote to confirm the U.N. nominations but Cardin said his responsibilities were not “terribly contingent upon confirmation,” so he can join the delegation.
“I have my credentials as United States senator, chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” he said. “There’s not any official action I will take, because I’m a member of our delegation. It’s just to work with our delegation. I don’t have to give up my day job.”
Biden has addressed the UN each fall of his presidency and Cardin expects him to address the body again next week.