Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,

H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock

Opening session of the

 Fourty-Ninth Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

[Check Against Delivery]

 

 

I thank you. Your Excellency Fuad Hussein, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, and Chair of the Group of 77 and China.

 

Madam Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed.

 

Excellencies, dear friends.

 

I’m very honoured that I was not only invited, but also have the chance to work with you in the coming year.

 

It is a privilege to be part of this important group, to see some of my former colleagues and friends again as foreign ministers, and to speak here before the Group of 77 and China, which represents 135 Member States.

 

This is not only the largest group, and thereby the most important group of this General Assembly, this group also comprises half of the world’s population. It is the largest negotiation bloc in the United Nations.

 

And when you speak, the foreign ministers, or your Permanent Representatives speak, the world listens.

For 60 years, you have not only been the voice of developing countries, you have delivered results.

You played a historic role in shaping the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a blueprint for a fairer future.

 

You have shown leadership in climate negotiations.

 

I remember very well, from my former role, the intense negotiations on the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27 – a real milestone, not only for global cooperation for developing countries, but also showing that the international system works, that multilateralism works. This fund established a new understanding of cooperation, including South–South and triangular cooperation, showing how new forms of collaboration are possible in challenging times.

 

At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville this past July, your advocacy was decisive – pressing for debt restructuring, for fairer access to finance, and for reforms to make the international financial system more responsive to the needs of developing countries.

By acting collectively and speaking with one voice, you continue to prove that we are indeed “better together” – also the theme of the 80th session.

 

At this extraordinary moment – when our United Nations turns 80, and with only five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – the world needs your engagement and leadership more than ever.

I would like to focus on three points in this regard, especially in the presence of foreign ministers here today.

 

First, we have a responsibility to sustain momentum on implementing the Pact for the Future – the global blueprint adopted in 2025 to revitalize multilateralism, whose one-year anniversary we mark this September.

 

In 2024, the financing gap for the SDGs rose to approximately 4 trillion US dollars per year – not billions, but trillions.

 

It is clear that we cannot achieve the SDGs without tackling this injustice.

 

Money that could have been used for funding solar panels, for healthcare, for building schools. It is clear that multilateralism cannot be called effective if it fails to address the challenges of the vast majority of humanity.

 

As I underlined yesterday at the opening of the General Debate: without sustainable development and without justice in development, there cannot be lasting peace in this world.

 

Throughout its history, the Group of 77 and China has pushed this perspective to the forefront – ensuring that the concerns of the majority are not an afterthought, but central to solutions for the borderless crises of our time.

 

You have worked tirelessly to advance the 2030 Agenda and to champion solutions that benefit all of humanity. I want to underline that this is also a priority of my presidency in this 80th session.

That same energy we need for my second point.

 

Second, to deliver on the promises of this institution, we must make it fit for purpose. And fit for purpose doesn’t only mean one pillar, it means all three pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development.

 

On this, the Group of 77 and China has also played a crucial role.

 

We are in the midst of a reform process. Especially smaller countries, have always highlighted that not everything works well in this institution. The current process, the UN80 Initiative launched by the Secretary-General, is a moment to strengthen not only the power and role of this institution, but also its delivery on the SDGs.

 

Here I want to be candid: this reform can only fly and deliver if it is not only discussed in New York, but also embraced in capitals. We need leadership of every country to support it, knowing there are different perspectives.

 

Those who believe in this institution must seize this moment.

 

Again, this group plays a special role: with 135 countries represented, your discussions here set the tone for the wider General Assembly.

 

I ask for your support – for the Secretariat and for the PGA – especially to counter fears, particularly among smaller countries, that this is merely a cost-cutting exercise. It is not. For the PGA, it is about delivering on the Pact for the Future, on the 2030 Agenda, and on the Charter itself. The world needs your leadership to make this organization stronger, more agile, and more effective.

 

We also face the mandate implementation review under UN80 – an exercise that touches the very core of the General Assembly, and its relation to the Security Council. We all know there is an overwhelming number of resolutions, and as a former foreign minister, I admit it was nearly impossible to track them all. If we truly want to focus on what matters, we must reduce the workload – though this is not easy, since each resolution carries history. Again, we will need your support. These reforms are closely linked to the upcoming budget review and the work of the Fifth Committee.

 

Third, speaking of budgets, let me turn to the issue of fair finance – already discussed this morning at the first biennial summit for sustainable development. Breaking the debt cycle must be our highest priority. This means putting the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index into practice, so that small island developing States, least developed countries, and landlocked developing countries can access support on fair and critical terms.

 

It also means widening the circle of decision-making to include the most vulnerable and marginalized – indigenous communities, women, and youth.

 

And it means holding ourselves accountable for delivery: measuring promises against progress, setting clear targets, realistic timelines, and open reporting. That is how we rebuild trust. That is how we deliver inclusive and effective multilateralism.

 

This is what the Group of 77 and China has stood for in the past, and this is how we must work together in the future – to be better together.

 

Thank you again for having me here today.