The author states that the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted diplomatic discussions around the globe.

Text 4 to answer questions 35 and 36.

1 The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly shaken up old
structures and accelerated 180-degree changes and
innovation. Diplomacy and multilateral systems are no
4 exception. The impossibility to meet face to face, given the
confinement, social-distancing, and other sanitary measures,
has demanded an overnight transformation of the diplomatic
7 business as we know it. Technological platforms have made
it possible for diplomats from all over the world to continue
discussions and advance the multilateral agenda across the
10 United Nations, and more broadly, the international
community. Representatives from larger and smaller
delegations have gathered in front of their screens, and
13 found themselves negotiating in a whole new environment,
one that is evolving at a very rapid pace. Sometimes
delegates do not have the possibility of consulting with their
16 capital-based experts as the negotiation period gets
shortened. Different time zones and the lack of systems that
may provide for simultaneous interpretation have also
19 hindered the participation of technical experts, academics,
the civil society, the private sector, and other representatives
that are based outside multilateral hubs. Nonetheless, it has
22 become clear that delegations from the developing world are
underrepresented in virtual gatherings. Not only are
governments focused on tackling the pandemic back home,
25 but non-effective access to technology and the lower
numbers of personnel have negatively impacted their
27 engagement in the digital realm.

Munoz, Maricela. “Diplomacy in times of COVID-19.” Diplo (blog). Jul. 16, 2020. Accessed Sep. 10, 2020. https://www.diplomacy.edu/blog, with adaptations.