Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
H.E Ms Annalena Baerbock
at the Press Briefing

Wednesday, 17 September 2025, 12 pm


[Check Against Delivery]

 

 

Good afternoon to all of you.

 

It is my sincere privilege to be with you here today.

 

This is something I intend to do regularly.

 

Because the work you do is of critical importance.

 

  • You are Helping to hold our Organization accountable,
  • Raising the tough issues,
  • And telling our story to the 8 billion people globally who count on us to deliver.

 

At the opening of the 80th session last week, I spoke on the theme that will be guiding my presidency: Better Together.

 

This theme reflects the reality that no single nation, regardless of its size, might, or wealth, can confront the challenges that we face all alone.

 

We have to work together. Better together.

 

This Organization was born in a moment of deep fracture, perhaps one of the darkest in human history.

But it brought us the UN Charter.

 

To this day it is the north star that guides our work and reminds us of what we want to accomplish together.

 

But eighty years is a long time. Almost double than my lifetime.

 

The world has changed.

 

That is why for me it is now the time to reflect and rebuild.

 

To adapt and evolve for a United Nations that will carry us through the next eighty years.

 

To show eight billion people why this Organization still matters.

 

And to respond to the desperate calls for peace in Gaza, Ukraine,  Sudan, and Haiti.

 

To take meaningful action on collective challenges, such as climate change, inequality, and rapid technological advancements.

 

Our task is to ensure that the UN stands strong for the next 80 years.

 

The processes this year must be our focus.

 

That includes advancing the UN80 reform agenda, ensuring that the UN becomes more effective and can deliver on its promises.

 

It includes guiding the selection of the next Secretary-General, the face and voice of this Organization.

 

And it includes building on the Pact for the Future and ensuring its implementation. We need to regain momentum on the SDGs.

 

This house was created for dialogue and diplomacy, and yes for debate, to sort out our differences, peacefully, together.

 

Next week’s General Debate, with an estimated 150 Heads of State and Government in attendance, is an opportunity to demonstrate exactly this.

 

I will use every opportunity to underscore the importance of this moment in history, to reaffirm our commitment to the UN Charter and the principles that it represents.

 

The High-Level Week events to follow are also key opportunities:

 

  • We have the United Nations 80th anniversary, which is a chance to reflect upon the achievements and role of the UN, and to re-embrace the principles of the Charter – our life insurance.

 

  • We have the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. This is a chance to address the reality that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved by endless war, continued occupation and terror. The only way to ensure that both Israelis and Palestinians can live in lasting peace, security, and dignity is the two-state solution.

 

  • The high-level meetings marking the 30th anniversaries of both the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the World Programme of Action for Youth, give us space to reflect on three decades of progress, and yes, setbacks, and to chart a path forward.

 

  • The High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health reflects the stark reality that non-infectious diseases are not only a leading cause of mortality, but in many cases entirely preventable and treatable.

 

  • And the High-Level Conference to address the crisis facing Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar reflects the General Assembly’s intention to support those most vulnerable, and to draw attention to conflicts and human rights abuses that are too often forgotten.

 

  • The High-Level Meeting to Commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, a yearly gathering, regains renewed importance at a time when conflict and tensions are at a high-point.

 

So, you can see, we are not short on challenges or issues.

 

Yet, we are also not short of engagement, with significant attendance expected.

 

What we have to do is turn this engagement into collective action.

 

Yes, we are at a crossroads — a make-or-break moment.

 

But this is precisely when we have to work harder.

 

Our forebearers had the humility and grace to put aside their differences and work together in 1945; we need that same principled conviction today.

 

Eight decades of progress and setbacks, of achievement and failure, of renewal and resolve, have brought us here.

 

Now we need the will, and the ambition, to turn promise into action, commitments into progress,

and hope into reality.

 

That is the message I will deliver on Tuesday, for the High-Level Week.

 

And this is the message I will carry throughout the session.

 

I thank you.