Germany’s former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock addresses the United Nations General Assembly after being elected as president of the 80th Session of the world body June 2, 2025 at UN world headquarters in New York. (Credit: UN Photo / Manuel Elías)
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Germany’s ex-foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has been elected president of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Baerbock received 167 votes following the secret ballot that took place on Monday at UN world headquarters in New York . She becomes the first woman from the Western European group to hold the post and the fifth woman overall to lead the General Assembly. Baerbock will replace current president Philemon Yang, a former Prime Minister of Cameroon, at the start of the 80th session of the UNGA in September.
“I will serve all 193 member states as an honest broker and as a unifier,” the president-elect said during her acceptance speech. “As a president of the General Assembly I will engage in a trust-based dialogue with all member states. My door will always be open for everyone.”
Baerbock will take up her post at a challenging time with multiple global conflicts raging in the Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa. The world is witnessing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War.
“Today, we live in challenging times. We are walking on a tightrope of uncertainty. But the birth of the United Nations eighty years ago reminds us: We have lived through difficult times before. And it is up to us to take on these challenges,” Baerbock added.
The former German foreign minister said her vision is 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.” As UNGA president, Baerbock said her first key objective will be to support Member States “to renew, to refocus and to make our organization fit for purpose, fit for the 21st century. We need a United Nations that delivers on peace, development and justice.”
Speaking to the media after her election, Baerbock made note of being a woman in such a high-profile global post, saying “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.”
Russia Sharply Criticized Baerbock’s Nomination for UNGA President
As foreign minister, Baerbock was a staunch advocate for Ukraine in its war with Russia, making numerous visits to the country and expressed strong support for providing military supplies to Kyiv. Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky slammed Baerbock’s nomination for president in May accusing her of “incompetence”, anti-Russian bias and “ignorance of the basic principles of diplomacy.”
Baerbock, 44, served as Germany’s minister for foreign minister from December 2021 until May 2025. From 2018 to January 2022, Baerbock served as co-leader of Alliance 90/The Greens. Baerbock was born in Hanover. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Hamburg University.
