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In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, President Biden framed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as ending "a period of relentless war" and starting "a new era of relentless diplomacy." Speaking to the delegates for the first time as president, Biden used the world stage to outline his administration's aspirations for cooperation with the nation's allies and called on nations to work together against COVID-19, climate change, human rights violations and "new threats" from emerging technology. "We must work together as never before," he said. Biden noted the deaths of some 4.5 million people worldwide from COVID-19, calling each death "an individual heartbreak." "We need to act now to get shots in arms as fast as possible and expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments to save lives around the world," he said. (Naylor, 9/21)

President Biden outlined a U.S. foreign-policy vision rooted in global alliances during his first address to the United Nations as commander-in-chief, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy at a moment when relations with some U.S. allies are strained. Mr. Biden called for a shift away from armed conflict after two decades of war in Afghanistan and the Middle East. “As we close this period of relentless war, we’re opening a new era of relentless diplomacy,” he said, standing in the U.N. assembly hall in front of the iconic serpentinite stone backdrop. (Restucci and Thomas, 9/21)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte criticized rich nations at the U.N. General Assembly for hoarding COVID-19 vaccines while much of the developing world continues to suffer shortages. “The picture is bleak. It is a man-made drought of vaccines ravaging the poor countries,” Duterte said in a video message. “Rich countries hoard life-saving vaccines while poor nations wait for trickles. They now talk of booster shots, while developing countries consider half doses just to get by.” (9/21)

Multiple reports have confirmed that Brazil's minister of health Marcelo Queiroga was staying in the same New York hotel as President Biden. Newsweek has contacted the White House to ask if they are taking any precautions regarding the health minister testing positive. Queiroga told CNN Brasil that he had worn a mask the entire time that he was in the UN building this week, and that he will now quarantine in New York for 14 days. (Dutton, 9/22)

Brazil’s health minister tested positive for the coronavirus in New York after President Jair Bolsonaro spoke at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. Brazil’s government said in a statement that Marcelo Quiroga was in good health and would remain in isolation in the United States. He got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January. Other members of Brazil’s government in New York tested negative for the virus, the statement said. (9/22)

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was the first world leader to speak Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly, creating a defiantly awkward opener for an event expected to focus largely on the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. ... While he devoted only a small part of his address to the pandemic, his presence at the assembly spoke volumes on it: As he has not been fully immunized, Bolsonaro appears to have broken U.N. rules that asked for all those who entered the General Assembly Hall to be fully vaccinated under an “honor system.” (Taylor and Timsit, 9/21)