NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – “Enough is enough!” With these words, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to move its headquarters out of New York and into New Zealand.
The unprecedented move was prompted by the most recent mass shootings in the United States which have put the number to 255 in just the first half of 2019.
“It is no longer safe for our diplomats and staff to live and work in the U.S.,” a U.N. statement said.
New Zealand was voted as the new site of the U.N. Headquarters.
New Zealand, led by its Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, has moved to tighten gun control laws following the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch which left 50 people dead.
A U.N. spokesperson said that members of the General Assembly hailed New Zealand’s political will to address gun violence which has plagued the U.S. for a long time. He added: “We hope that by moving our headquarters to New Zealand, we will be able to assure our members of peace of mind that their service to the U.N. will not be marred by safety issues like they face in America. If malls, churches, schools and festivals have become the venue for mass shootings, what assurance do we have that it will not happen at the U.N. headquarters?”
Ironically, even U.S. permanent member of the U.N. Security Council Jonathan Cohen voted to move the headquarters out of New York.
Iceland, dubbed by some surveys as the safest country in the world, was also being considered as the new site of the UN Headquarters but members agreed it that its cold weather might result in frequent absences and tardiness for the Assembly members.
