Pacific Palisades Resident Selected To Represent U.S. At U.N.

NEW YORK CITY —President Joe Biden announced Monday that diplomat and businessman Sim Farar, of Pacific Palisades, will be one of four people who will represent the U.S. at 76th Session General Assembly of the United Nations, which began Tuesday.

The annual gathering at U.N. Headquarters in New York -which was held almost entirely virtually last year because of the pandemic - brings together diplomats from the 193 U.N. member nations. The Associated Press reported that more than 100 leaders are planning to attend this year's event, which will run until Sept. 27.

Each delegation in the General Assembly will be permitted up to five members, reported the New York Times. Joining Farar as U.S. representatives are Tom Carnahan, a St. Louis-based entrepreneur, U.S. Rep. French Hill (R- Arkansas) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California).

According to a press release from the White House, Farar is the chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. He also is a managing member of JDF Investments Company LLC, which has specialized in corporate development and financing merger transactions for over 35 years.

Previously, Farar served as the commissioner for the $12 billion Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension's Trustee Fund, a post he was appointed to in 2002 by LA Mayor James Hahn.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton appointed Farar to serve as the U.S. Representative to the 54th General Assembly at the U.N.

Biden is scheduled to speak at this year's General Assembly during the General Debate next Tuesday, according to United Press International.

This past weekend, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN that Biden would be announcing new steps on global vaccinations ahead of the U.N. meeting, hinting the president's U.N. speech is likely to be partially about combatting COVID-19.

"There will be more actions that we continue to work on in the days ahead, and especially on the global front, where we will be taking steps, and the president will be making announcements ahead of the U.N. General Assembly about additional measures that we're taking to help vaccinate the world," Murthy said.