UNITED NATIONS, Jun 03 (APP): Former Foreign Minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock has been elected as president of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, which will begin in September.
Ms. Baerbock will replace Philemon Yang, the current president of the 193-member Assembly, who “wholeheartedly” congratulated her.
“I warmly congratulate Her Excellency, Annalena Baerbock on her election as the next president of the United Nations General Assembly. 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,” Yang said.
Ms. Baerbock conveyed her gratitude for the “overwhelming support” from the member states for being elected.
She polled 167 votes, almost double the 88 votes needed to win, while high-ranking diplomat Helga Schmid, also from Germany, received 7 votes as a write-in candidate and 14 countries abstained.
Germany had nominated Ms. Schmid for the Assembly presidency but replaced her with Ms. Baerbock after she lost her post as the country’s foreign affairs chief in the recent election. The decision drew some criticism in Germany.
When Ms. Baerbock appeared before the assembly to discuss her candidacy on May 15, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky lashed into her, saying: “Ms. Baerbock has repeatedly proved her incompetence, extreme bias and lack of understanding of the basic principles of diplomacy.”
Polyansky accused her of having pursued an “anti-Russia policy,” which he said gave Russia reason to doubt that as General Assembly president, she would be “able to act in the interests of peace and dialogue.”
Ms.Baerbock rejected the Russian criticism.
“I am grateful … the overwhelming majority of member states have voted in favor of my candidacy and I’m looking forward to work with all member states together in these challenging times,” she said
In her remarks, Ms. Baerbock also expressed a commitment to serving everyone.
“My 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,” she said.
As her second priority, Baerbock emphasized the importance of “the Pact for the Future.”
“It is key to further strengthen the role of the General Assembly with regard to peace and security matters in close cooperation with the Security Council and the Peace Building Commission,” she said, adding that her third priority “is a United Nations that embraces everyone.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for his part, highlighted the ongoing global challenges and stressed that “mistrust and divisions are rife.”
“Our institutions and structures still reflect the world of yesterday, not a vision of tomorrow. This is a moment for us to unite, to forge common solutions, and to take action to confront these challenges,” Guterres said.
Expressing “full support” to Ms. Baerbock, the UN chief hailed her previous government and diplomatic experience.
“And let us not forget the historic significance of her being only the fifth woman to be elected President of the General Assembly,” he added.