Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 8:53 a.m., General Assembly Hall. “Annie, are you tracking the speaker list?” “Yes—who’s doing the lead today?” This type of coded exchange is part of the daily routine for the teams of UN Press Officers—one English-speaking, the other French-speaking—tasked with covering official debates at the New York Headquarters.
Two years ago, I joined the French-speaking team of the Meetings Coverage Section. With a background in international relations and institutional communications, the role offered a rare opportunity to merge my two areas of expertise in service of the UN’s mission.
As a young academic scholar eager for new challenges, I found myself entering a world I had not fully imagined. Just weeks after I arrived, the Hamas attack on Israel sent shockwaves through the international system, drastically escalating the UN’s workload. The pace was intense, the pressure high—but the experience was deeply rewarding.
Because working in the Meetings Coverage Section means witnessing diplomacy at its most immediate. It is about translating complex, often sensitive debates into accessible information for all. It is about staying tuned to the pulse of international affairs and making sense of global peace and security. But above all, it is a profoundly human experience—grounded in teamwork, professionalism, and interactions.
Linked in Purpose: Behind the Editorial Curtain
A week before the General Assembly’s high-level week kicks off, the Section staff works behind the scenes to plan team assignments across General Assembly plenaries, Security Council meetings, and the work of the six Main Committees. I have been primarily assigned to the Sixth Committee on legal questions—but flexibility is key to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Concretely, a press release consists in an analytical summary of the meeting from an angle carefully chosen by the responsible Press Officer. However, it is not a solo effort—it takes a team to go through the whole editorial chain. The first link is the Press Officer who drafts the press release. Drafts are then reviewed by Editors who check for both factual and stylistic consistency. Last link but not the least, the Proofreaders give each piece a last polish before publication on the UN website.
Smooth communication between each link of the editorial chain is essential for timely and effective coverage. Any delay in signaling that a draft or revision is complete can slow the process down. Accuracy and clarity are also non-negotiable. There is no room for ambiguous formulations in institutional communications. Editors, with their deep understanding of UN proceedings, are here key to ensuring that every press release is both precise and coherent. Once they submit their draft, Press Officers also stay available to answer any questions from Editors and Proofreaders, guaranteeing the final quality of the final product.
More Than Words: A Role of Many Acts
Being a press officer requires intense focus and mental agility. We must listen closely, extract key points, and write structured content—all while the meeting is underway. The role requires sharp judgement to highlight priorities contingent to the agenda items while ensuring neutrality and balance across regions and perspectives.
As such, the role involves constant multitasking, a sharp understanding of diplomatic dynamics, and mastery of various topics to weave information together coherently across sessions. That mix of thematic diversity and intellectual challenge is what keeps me coming back every day with curiosity and enthusiasm.
But effective coverage goes beyond live drafting during meetings. It begins beforehand with background preparation and the reading of official documents available in the Official Journal—and continues after, through informal conversations with diplomats. Engaging with delegates in the meeting chambers and at receptions at the UN or in the Permanent Missions has helped me raise awareness about our Section’s work and the value of timely, high-quality information.
Giving Democracy and Development the Stage
I have long believed that access to information and education is a cornerstone of good governance and development. In other words, knowledge is power—a conviction I already held in academia and which my experience at the UN has only reinforced.
Sitting in the meeting rooms, interacting directly with delegations, I have come to appreciate just how vital press coverage for official meetings is. Yes, UN WebTV broadcasts meetings live—but many delegations, especially those with limited staff, do not have the time to watch every session or read full transcripts. For many delegates, our press releases are their daily go-to source—praised for their clarity and conciseness.
One diplomat once told me that the press releases helped her better understand divisions between Member States. During a reception, another noted that newcomers often arrive in New York with little to no handover, making concise updates essential. After a Security Council meeting, a Permanent Representative once confessed to me his near-compulsive news monitoring, convinced that keeping abreast of developments is the key to successful negotiations. UN staff, wherever they are posted, and journalists around the world also rely on these texts offering quick access to thematic content, in real-time or on demand.
Diplomacy is the power of dialogue—but dialogue requires access to timely, reliable information. Without information, diplomacy becomes blind. Without communication, it loses its driving force. UN press releases are more than records—they are bridges between diplomatic action and the wider world, serving transparency and understanding. In this way, multilateralism—so often under threat, yet practiced daily in UN chambers—does not remain confined there. On the contrary, press releases give multilateralism a public voice and a permanent footprint to further strengthen the peace and development objectives.
Yes, the UN is facing serious financial challenges. But knowing that I have played a modest part—like so many others—in sharing the diplomatic efforts for a better world fills me with hope and gratitude. Because I truly believe that information drives transformation. Information shapes choices, fuels public debate, and brings more people into the decisions that define our collective future. As long as there are women and men committed to that mission, I will keep believing that, even in the most uncertain times, the right turn of phrase can still help light the way toward progress.