Former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has been elected President of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session, becoming the first woman from the Western European group, and only the fifth woman overall to hold the post.
Baerbock secured 167 votes in a secret ballot on Monday, June 2, 2025. A write-in candidate, Helga Schmid, also from Germany, received seven votes. Fourteen countries abstained.
At 44, Baerbock is among the youngest leaders to preside over the General Assembly, the UN’s most representative body. Her term begins at a time of global uncertainty, with ongoing wars, stalled development goals, and growing pressure on the multilateral system. She is expected to play a central role in upcoming discussions on UN reform and the selection of the next Secretary-General, whose term ends in 2026.
Outgoing President Philemon Yang praised Baerbock’s leadership style and “Better Together” agenda, calling her a leader defined by “unwavering commitment to multilateralism” capable of building bridges at a time of deep geopolitical divides. Secretary-General António Guterres also welcomed her election but warned that the challenges facing the Assembly, from armed conflict to poverty and climate disasters, require urgent collective action.
Baerbock pledged to act as “an honest broker and a unifier” for all 193 UN Member States. She laid out three priorities for her presidency: strengthening the UN’s effectiveness, advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and ensuring the Assembly is a truly inclusive platform.
“I see the diversity of the General Assembly as our strength,” she said. “This is the place where all nations come together, and where every country has a seat and a voice.”
Her leadership begins as the Security Council remains deadlocked on major crises, including Ukraine and Gaza. That has shifted more focus to the General Assembly, which, though it lacks binding authority, has become a key space for global dialogue and norm-setting.
Recent measures, including the 2022 “Veto Initiative,” have also expanded the Assembly’s role. Under this mechanism, any Security Council veto by a permanent member, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, or the United States, triggers a debate in the Assembly, bringing blocked issues into the wider UN spotlight.
Baerbock also addressed the upcoming UN80 reform effort, warning against treating it as just a budget-trimming exercise. “Our common goal is a strong, focused, nimble, and fit-for-purpose organization,” she said. “One that delivers on peace, development, and justice.”
The 80th session of the General Assembly opens on September 9.
