First she made global headlines for being only the second world leader to give birth in office, and now New Zealand’s leader has made history again for bringing her baby to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became the first world leader to bring her child with her to the annual meeting when she attended the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit on Monday evening.
Accompanied by her partner Clarke Gayford, who is the baby’s primary caregiver, Adern was seen kissing and bobbing her three-month-old daughter Neve Te Aroha on her lap as she sat in the assembly hall before she gave a speech.
On Twitter, of a mock UN identification pass for his daughter that included a photo of the infant bundled in a blanket and toque along with the words “New Zealand First Baby.â€
Gayford also joked that his daughter’s appearance at the meeting was a surprise for some attendees that night.
“I wish I could have captured the startled look on a Japanese delegation inside UN yesterday who walked into a meeting room in the middle of a nappy change,†he wrote. “Great yarn for her 21st.â€
Ardern has been hailed as an inspiration to working mothers everywhere after she gave birth to her daughter in June. She became only the second world leader to do so after the late Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto gave birth to her child in 1990.
Ardern returned to work in early August following a six-week maternity leave.
In addition to UN meetings on climate change, global trade, and women and children’s rights, Ardern has a number of other high-profile appearances scheduled for her time in New York including interviews on The Today Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and CNN.
With files from The Associated Press
Because everyone on twitter's been asking to see Neve's UN id, staff here whipped one up.
— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke)
I wish I could have captured the startled look on a Japanese delegation inside UN yesterday who walked into a meeting room in the middle of a nappy change.
Great yarn for her 21st.