Elected GA President: Annalena Baerbock in UN's 80th Year | United Nations

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock was today (2 Jun) elected President of the General Assembly at its 80th session by secret ballot.

In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the eightieth session of the General Assembly is to be elected from the Western European and Other States Group.

Baerbock obtained 167 votes.

The President of the seventy-ninth session of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang said, “it is fitting that in this milestone 80th year of the General Assembly, leadership should fall to someone whose career has been defined by an unwavering commitment to multilateralism.”

Baerbock, Yang said, was the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany “during one of the most turbulent periods in recent memory.” He said, “her experience at the helm of diplomacy amidst global uncertainty will serve this Assembly well.”

The President Elect, on her first address to the Assembly, said, “today we live in challenging times. We are walking on a tightrope of uncertainty. But the birth of the United Nations, 80 years ago, reminds us we have lived through difficult times before, and it's up to us to take on these challenges.”

Baerbock said, “while we need to be bold, ambitious, and ready to take difficult decisions, the UN80 initiative should not be a mere cost cutting exercise. Our common goal is a strong, focused, nimble and fit for purpose organization, one that is capable of realizing its core objectives. We need a United Nations that delivers on peace, development and justice.”

Secretary-General António Guterres for his part said, “this is a moment for us to unite, to forge common solutions and to take action to confront these challenges. President elect Baerbock 's vision, Better Together, is an inspiring rallying cry for today's world and the global problem-solving system embodied by the United Nations to address these challenges.”

Following the election, Baerbock spoke at a media stakeout outside the General Assembly Hall and said, “as only the fifth woman in this position within 80 years, I'm aware that peace and development can only be sustained when half of the population - which is in every country, women - have an equal seat at the table.”

She said, “peace and security is not an isolated pillar of the United Nations, but peace and security, development and human rights are interconnected, and we know from the last 80 years that sustainable peace is depending on sustainable development.”

In May, the Assembly had convened an informal interactive dialogue with candidates to present their vision statements, and to conduct informal interactive dialogues with Member States, thus contributing to the transparency and inclusivity of the process.