UNITED NATIONS (AP) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will open the signing ceremony for the first treaty to ban nuclear weapons and the Security Council hold a high-level meeting on its far-flung peacekeeping operations as world leaders tackle a wide range of crises and challenges on the second day of their annual gathering.
More than 120 countries approved the treaty in early July over strong opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies, who boycotted negotiations. The U.N. treaty office says 51 countries are expected to sign during Wednesday’s opening day.
Guterres is also expected to brief the Security Council meeting on reforming U.N. peacekeeping – a key item on the Trump administration’s agenda, which will be represented by Vice President Mike Pence.