Baerbock becomes the first woman as President of the UN General Assembly!

Baerbock becomes the first woman as President of the UN General Assembly!

UN-Generalversammlung, New York, USA - On June 2, 2025, Annalena Baerbock was elected President of the 80th meeting of the UN General Assembly. With 167 votes in a secret vote that took place at the request of Russia, she started without opposing candidates and is now the first woman from the western European group in this position and the fifth woman as a whole. Your term of office officially begins on September 9th and lasts a year what makes it one of the latest leaders in this role.

The choice took place in a challenging global context, in which continuing conflicts and financial pressure shape the diplomatic landscape. The General Assembly is regarded as an important forum for diplomatic engagements and consensus formation, and Baerbock announced in its inaugural speech to act as a "honest mediator and some" for all 193 Member States. Their focus is on efficiency and effectiveness of the organization and the promotion of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the creation of an inclusive forum.

priorities and challenges

Baerbock plans to fill out her role more diploma than during her time as Foreign Minister, and would like to advance reforms to use the resources of the general assembly more efficiently. Your focus during your tenure will be the UN sustainability goals, the fight against the climate crisis and the gender equality. These ambitions are particularly important because Germany runs for a non-independent seat in the UN Security Council in 2026.

The General Assembly has the potential to advance important topics such as ceasefire, humanitarian access and the protection of civilians. With the “Veto Initiative” of 2022, there is the possibility to prioritize topics that are blocked in the Security Council in the meeting. Baerbock is expected to advance the transparency process when looking for a successor for UN General Secretary António Guterres, which is due in 2026

support and criticism

The support for Baerbock's candidacy is strong on the German government side, while their statements about Russia and China are classified as undiplomatic. Joseph Deiss, a former President of the UN General Assembly, evaluated the role as demanding and describes the General Assembly as a "cumbersome machine" in which ideas and courage are required to make progress. Baerbock could prove itself in one of the most difficult phases of the UN history, especially in view of the challenges that arise from states such as Russia that disregard the UN chart.

In her application meeting, Baerbock proposed to shorten the speech in the meeting to save time to save time and increase efficiency. Your choice is considered a matter of form and is considered a step to strengthen German presence and negotiations within the UN.

These developments could have a decisive influence on global discussions in the coming months and years. The eyes of the world are now aimed at Baerbock while preparing for their role as a leading diplomatic voice in the United Nations.