Welcoming the world to New York – Foreign Minister Baerbock travels to the 79th United Nations General Assembly

The focus this year is on peace, sustainable development and human dignity.

From Tuesday, 24 September, Heads of State and Government and ministers from all over the world will meet for the 79th time at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations” is the theme of this year’s General Assembly.

While this sounds simple, it is complex. The aim here is nothing less than shaping the world so that future generations are able to live well in it. This is about steps towards resolving major global crises, about justice and climate action. The UN General Assembly is where the international community comes together to find answers to the most pressing questions of our age. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Baerbock will address the General Assembly on Germany’s behalf.

Foreign Minister Baerbock issued the following statement at the start of General Assembly week:

Germany is standing for a seat on the UN Security Council

Germany would like to assume responsibility in the highest UN body once again and is standing for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2027/2028. Moreover, we are working together with our partners from Brazil, India and Japan in the G4 format to make the Security Council fit for the 21st century. Its composition must reflect current geopolitical realities to this end. In particular, it must take the countries of the Global South much more into account. As a major supporter of the United Nations and its fourth-largest contributor, Germany is also seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council.

The UN Summit of the Future: Preserving and further developing the international order

The UN Summit of the Future, which is being held in New York from 20 to 23 September, immediately prior to the opening of the General Debate, is also focusing on making the UN fit for the 21st century. The spotlight here is on putting the cornerstones of the international community’s coexistence – the international order and the principles of the UN Charter, which we all committed to uphold – back at the centre. We all have a responsibility to carry these cornerstones into the future. This includes further developing our multilateral instruments in a rapidly changing world and making the United Nations fairer, more inclusive and more effective. That is why sustainable development, peace and security, human rights and humanitarian affairs are at the heart of the Pact for the Future, which Germany, together with Namibia as a co-facilitator, has played a major role in helping to advance.

Ensuring justice and strengthening women’s rights

Women and girls in particular have a crucial role to play in a world that aspires to be just and sustainable. Developments such as the so-called virtue and vice order imposed by the radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan, which seeks to make women and girls invisible and silence them in society, remind us, however, that there have been dramatic setbacks. And overall, there is still a long way to go around the world to achieve equality and the far-reaching participation of women.

Seeking solutions to acute crises and conflicts and ending the suffering of millions of people

In the Sudan, a power struggle between two generals has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, with over 16,000 dead, 10 million displaced and 26 million people suffering from hunger. Women have been victims of gender-based violence time and again. Together with her counterparts from France and the United States, Foreign Minister Baerbock will discuss the next steps for finding solutions to this conflict with her opposite numbers from the region.

The conflict in the Middle East, which is continuing to escalate with the latest developments in Lebanon, will also be a high up on the agenda in New York. Further escalation is not inevitable and de-escalation is the order of the day. Furthermore, the question of how to move closer to a two-state solution will be at the heart of the talks at the General Assembly. That is why all efforts are continuing to be directed towards achieving a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the hostages’ release.

For over two and a half years, Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has torn a deep wound in the heart of Europe. Germany stands firmly by the Ukrainian people’s side in their fight for freedom. At the same time, we are working to ensure that a crime of aggression such as Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine can be sanctioned under international criminal law. We are therefore working with other countries to reform the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The UN Security Council will focus on the situation in Ukraine.

Moreover, President Zelensky will meet partners in New York to explore how Ukraine can move forward with its plan to defend the country and on its path towards a just peace.

Wide-ranging discussions

Many other issues are on the agenda. In addition to this, General Assembly week provides a unique opportunity for Heads of State and Government and Ministers to meet their counterparts from around the world easily in person in a very wide range of formats. These include informal meetings among the G7 and various bilateral talks.