General Assembly Elects Annalena Baerbock of Germany President of Eightieth Session, Selects Main Committee Bureaus

Assembly Vice-President Also Elected

Pledging to serve the international community as “an honest broker and unifier”, Annalena Baerbock of Germany was elected as President of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly — the fifth woman to serve in that post in 80 years.

Ms. Baerbock was put forward as a candidate by the Western European and Other States Group, whose turn it was to nominate a president, according to procedures to ensure equitable geographical representation.  She was elected after she obtained a simple majority of 167 votes in a secret-ballot election.  The Assembly also elected today its Vice-Presidents for the eightieth session, as well as the Bureaus of its Main Committees.

Incoming President Highlights Vision of ‘Better Together’

Addressing the Assembly after she was elected, Ms. Baerbock highlighted the theme of her presidency — “Better together” — emphasizing inclusivity, transparency and trust-based dialogue.  She promised an open-door policy and affirmed her commitment to upholding the UN Charter as the “irrevocable foundation of our work”.

Quoting former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld — “The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell” — she reminded Member States that the Organization was forged out of the devastation of war to build a hopeful, cooperative world order based on peace, human rights and respect for international law.  Despite the pressures currently facing the UN — political and financial — she insisted that “nothing would be better without the United Nations”, and that now, more than ever, countries must work better together.

Three Strategic Priorities

Her presidency will focus on three strategic priorities. The first is to support Member States in modernizing the Organization to be “fit for purpose” in the twenty-first century.  The Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative must not become “a mere cost-cutting exercise”, but a process grounded in bold and inclusive decision-making, she said, as she called for reliable financing and greater system-wide efficiency.

Secondly, it is essential to advance the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  With fewer than one in five Sustainable Development Goal targets on track, she urged “bold, ambitious, accelerated, just and transformative action”.  Sustainable development, she emphasized, is inseparable from peace and security.  The Assembly — the most representative and main deliberative and policy-making body of the United Nations — in collaboration with the Economic and Social Council and other UN bodies, must lead this charge.

Third is inclusive multilateralism.  She underlined the need for gender equality:  “Peace and development can only be sustained when half of the world’s population — women — have an equal seat at the table.”  She also called for meaningful engagement with youth, civil society and all regional groups, highlighting the power of diversity and multilingualism to strengthen legitimacy and outcomes.  She also highlighted the selection of the next Secretary-General during her presidency.

She concluded with resolve:  “This is the task of our time:  To make the United Nations fit for purpose.  To uphold the Charter.  To deliver tangible results for everyone.  I am honoured to work with all of you in this challenging endeavour.  Better together.”

Career Defined by ‘Unwavering Commitment to Multilateralism’

Congratulating the President-elect, Assembly President Philémon Yang (Cameroon) said “it is fitting that, in this milestone eightieth year of the General Assembly, leadership should fall to someone whose career has been defined by an unwavering commitment to multilateralism”. Noting that Ms. Baerbock served as 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.”  He welcomed her pledge “to serve as an honest broker — to listen, to build trust and to foster dialogue across divides”.  That is precisely what this Assembly and the international community need, he observed.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, also noted that Ms. Baerbock is assuming the presidency at a difficult and uncertain moment for the multilateral system.  “Mistrust and divisions are rife,” while the Sustainable Development Goals are alarmingly off-track, he said, also noting global challenges ranging from poverty to climate change.  “And our institutions and structures still reflect the world of yesterday, not a vision of tomorrow,” he added.

President-elect Baerbock’s vision — “Better together” — is an inspiring rallying cry for this moment, he underscored.  Noting that her priority issues range from peace and development to the Organization’s reform and transparency, he said this agenda will be well-served by her wealth of 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 pointed out.

He also congratulated outgoing President Yang for taking on critical global issues, preparing for numerous milestone events in this anniversary year and serving as a powerful advocate for Africa.

Woman President ‘Finally and Successfully’ Nominated by Western European and Other States

The representative of Liechtenstein, speaking on behalf of the Western European and Other States, noted with pleasure that “our region has finally and successfully nominated a woman” for the Assembly President.  “We look forward to working together with other regional groups to improve the regretful track record of only five female Presidents so far in the history of this Assembly,” he pledged.  He also encouraged the President-elect to work in close cooperation with the President of the Security Council to help enable a transparent process for the selection of the next Secretary-General and continue to encourage the nomination of women candidates.

Also congratulating the President-elect were the representatives of Gabon on behalf of the African States, Iran on behalf of the Asia-Pacific States and the United States as the host country.

Niger Chosen to Occupy First Seat in Assembly Hall

In accordance with tradition, the Secretary-General drew lots to determine which delegation would occupy the first seat in the Assembly Hall during the eightieth session, with all other countries following in English alphabetical order.  Niger was picked for the first seat, and this seating order will be observed in the Main Committees.

Assembly Vice-Presidents Elected

The Assembly then elected the following Vice-Presidents of its plenary:  Andorra, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cabo Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Maldives, Montenegro, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Timor-Leste, Tunisia and Venezuela.  They will join the five permanent members of the Security Council — China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States — which serve annually as Assembly Vice-Presidents.

The representative of the United States dissociated from the re-election of Venezuela as Vice-President.

Six Main Committees Elect Respective Bureaus by Acclamation

Following the meeting, consecutive meetings of the Assembly’s six Main Committees were held to elect their respective Bureaus by acclamation.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) elected Maurizio Massari (Italy) as Chair; Amr Essameldin Sadek Ahmed (Egypt), Jakub Jaros (Poland) and Pawinrat Mahaguna (Thailand) as Vice-Chairs; and Ana Maricela Ávila Becerril (Costa Rica) as Rapporteur.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) elected José Alberto Bríz Gutiérrez (Guatemala) as Chair; Josélyne Kwishaka (Burundi), Noel Novicio (Philippines) and Raphael Ruppacher (Austria) as Vice-Chairs; and Dávid Sz. Nagy (Hungary) as Rapporteur.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) elected Lamin B. Dibba (Gambia) as Chair; Weronika Garbacz (Poland), Andrés Napuri Pita (Peru) and Jenni Mikkola (Finland) as Vice-Chairs; and Javad Momeni (Iran) as Rapporteur.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) elected Cherdchai Chaivaivid (Thailand) as Chair; Glentis Thomas (Antigua and Barbuda), Katarina Andric (Croatia) and Ginevra Oliva (Italy) as Vice-Chairs; and Edna Stephanie Williams (Ghana) as Rapporteur.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) elected Zsuzsanna Horváth (Hungary) as Chair; Mohammad Taghi Amrollahi (Iran) and Erik Björk (Sweden) as Vice-Chairs; and Vadim Belloni (Chile) as Rapporteur.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) elected Leila Castillon Lora-Santos (Philippines) as Chair; Estela Mercedes Nze Mansogo (Equatorial Guinea), Marek Zukal (Czech Republic) and Lucia Teresa Solano Ramirez (Colombia) as Vice-Chairs; and Wieteke Theeuwen (Netherlands)as Rapporteur.