- UN General Assembly President urges Member States to strengthen multilateralism amid growing geopolitical divisions
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK: President of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock has reaffirmed the indispensable role of the UN in addressing global challenges, while stressing that institutional reform and the protection of the UN Charter must remain key priorities for Member States.
Addressing the closing plenary on Tuesday alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Baerbock underscored the organization’s vital contribution to international peace, humanitarian assistance and development. She highlighted the UN’s everyday efforts to educate children, protect civilians and deliver life-saving humanitarian aid, noting that such achievements often receive limited attention amid growing skepticism and deepening geopolitical divisions.
80th Session Advances Global Governance Agenda
Baerbock pointed to the substantial workload undertaken during the 80th General Assembly session, which included 18 high-level meetings and 116 formal plenary sessions. Member States adopted 317 resolutions and advanced new international frameworks aimed at strengthening global governance of artificial intelligence.
She described these efforts as evidence of the UN’s continuing capacity to bring countries together to address emerging global challenges and establish common approaches to issues that transcend national borders.
Support for UN80 Reform Initiative
The Assembly President also voiced support for Secretary-General Guterres’s “UN80 Initiative,” which seeks to streamline the organization’s bureaucracy, improve efficiency and address overlapping mandates.
Baerbock stressed, however, that institutional reform must go hand in hand with a firm commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, particularly as armed conflicts and humanitarian crises continue to affect populations in Gaza, Ukraine and Myanmar.
Call for Action on Sustainable Development Goals
Concluding her address, Baerbock drew attention to the 1,460 days remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), urging Member States to accelerate efforts toward meeting the global development targets.
She also called for a transparent, inclusive and credible process for selecting the next UN Secretary-General, emphasizing the importance of broad participation and confidence in the organization’s future leadership.
BY: The Times Union
