Annalena Baerbock, former German Foreign Minister, was elected President of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session despite strong opposition from Russia.
According to the United Nations statement, Ms. Baerbock received 167 votes following the secret ballot. Write-in candidate Helga Schmid, a former OSCE Secretary-General and career diplomat, also from Germany received seven. Fourteen delegations abstained.
She becomes the first woman from the Western European group to hold the post and the fifth woman overall to lead the General Assembly. The presidency rotates among the world body’s five regional groups.
At 44 years, Ms. Baerbock is also one of the youngest leaders to secure the top job.
The vote for the presidency of the UN General Assembly is typically conducted by acclamation. However, this year Russia, which opposed Annalena Baerbock’s candidacy, requested a secret ballot, according to diplomatic sources cited by AFP.
Baerbock emerged as a candidate only in March, shortly before stepping down as Germany’s foreign minister following the country’s parliamentary elections in February. She replaced diplomat Helga Schmid, whose candidacy for the UN post had been announced the previous year.
Russia objected to the switch, criticizing Baerbock for what it described as “repeated incompetence, extreme bias, and a lack of understanding of basic diplomatic principles.”
“The decision by the authorities in Berlin to push through her candidacy is nothing less than a slap in the face to the world organization and a blatant show of disrespect,” Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said in May.
Pledge to be an honest broker
In her acceptance speech, President-elect Baerbock acknowledged the current global challenges and pledged to serve as “an honest broker and a unifier” for all 193 Member States, emphasising her theme of “Better Together.”
She outlined three priorities for her presidency: making the Organization more efficient and effective; advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and making the Assembly a “truly inclusive forum”.
She called for a UN “that embraces everyone. I see the diversity of the General Assembly as our strength. This is the place where all nations come together and where every country has a seat and a voice.”
She also highlighted the importance of promoting gender equality, multilingualism, and engagement with civil society and youth.
UN80 initiative
Ms. Baerbock also touched on the UN80 initiative, which was launched by Secretary-General António Guterres in March.
“The UN80 Initiative should not be a mere cost-cutting exercise,” she said, stressing the need for bold ambition and readiness to take difficult decisions.
“Our common goal is a strong, focused, nimble and fit-for-purpose organization. One that is capable of realising its core objectives – we need a United Nations that delivers on peace, development and justice.”
A Romanian worker trapped for hours under the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval tower near the Colosseum in central Rome has died, Italian and ...
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has begun a hunger strike, demanding respect for his fund...
Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 20 dead and almost 1,0...
Australia will provide households, including renters and those without solar panels, with at least three hours of free solar power daily under a new g...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 4 November, covering the latest developments you need to know....
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has begun a hunger strike, demanding respect for his fundamental rights in prison, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 4 November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Germany plans to deport Syrian citizens with criminal records and has invited Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Berlin for talks on the issue.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has announced that Germany will provide Ghana with €65 million (approximately $69 million) in development assistance.
Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.
At least 37 people have died and five are missing after devastating floods and landslides hit central Vietnam, officials said Monday, as a new typhoon threatens to worsen the disaster.
On October 21, 2025, an Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) Gulfstream G650, call sign 4K-ASG, touched down at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport. It was a historic event, commented many.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe the United States is going to war with Venezuela despite growing tensions, though he suggested President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may be nearing its end.
A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, leaving at least 20 people dead, hundreds injured, and causing significant damage to the city’s famed Blue Mosque, authorities said, warning that the death toll was expected to rise.
A Romanian worker trapped for hours under the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval tower near the Colosseum in central Rome has died, Italian and Romanian authorities said on Tuesday.
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has begun a hunger strike, demanding respect for his fundamental rights in prison, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 20 dead and almost 1,000 injured.
Australia will provide households, including renters and those without solar panels, with at least three hours of free solar power daily under a new government scheme starting in 2026.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 4 November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment