Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock,
at the opening of the Sixth Committee
13 October 2025, 10 am
[As Delivered]
Thank you very much, good morning, everybody.
Your Excellency Henrique Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines, Chair of the Sixth Committee,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Allow me to begin by congratulating you, Mr. Chair, and the members of the bureau on your election of the Sixth Committee.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the many legal experts and advisers here today who will enrich the discussions throughout the session with your knowledge and expertise.
And it’s a great chance also for myself to get to know a bit the different legal experts as we have exchanged already intensively with the missions and the PRs here.
But as we all know, the work really depends also on your expertise.
We need this expertise, I would say, more than ever before, especially as international order, the rule of law, and the Charter itself is under immense strain.
We see this with blatant violations of the Charter and its prohibition of use of force.
With a disregard for basic principles of international humanitarian law, or fractures in the rules-based international trade system.
However, I would also like to quote what the Director-General of WTO has said here during High-Level week, reminding everybody that even though there are fractures with regard to the international trade system, besides all this pressure, three fourths of global trade still grows under the WTO trade laws.
And also when we are looking at the critiques with regard to whether the UN is still delivering, I underlined in my opening remarks at the High-Level week that we should not allow cynics to weaponize some of these failures to argue that the institution as such is a waste of money, outdated, or even irrelevant.
Because when the principles of the Charter are ignored, is it the UN that has failed?
When tanks rolled into Ukraine, was it because Article Two is not clear enough about sovereignty and territorial integrity?
Or when civilians are killed in Gaza, is humanitarian law at fault for failing to protect civilians?
Rather not. It’s not the Charter which fails. It’s not the UN as an institution which fails.
The Charter, the international system, is only as strong as Member States’ willingness to uphold it and their willingness to hold account those who violate it.
In this regard, this session, and also the work of the Sixth Committee, is more important than ever.
Because the principles of the UN Charter are really at stake, but they are also needed now more than hardly ever before.
In this regard, it is not a simple task to continue the work as we did in the past, but we have to recommit to the principles.
The work of the Sixth Committee is critical in this function, as it has shown so often, that codification and progressive development of international law is possible.
For almost 80 years, this Committee has built the frameworks upon which today’s international legal system rests.
Through its engagement with the International Law Commission, this Committee has developed essential treaties on numerous topics, including diplomatic relations, law of treaties, and international criminal law.
To give an example, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties – one of the very cornerstones of modern international law – resulted from this fruitful interaction between the International Law Commission and the Sixth Committee.
Additionally, the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court is another remarkable example of the impact of your work here in this Committee, helping to bring justice to victims of the most serious crimes.
This session will address a number of important agenda items, from rule of law to state responsibility, from universal jurisdiction to diplomatic protection.
It will also include the preparation of Diplomatic Conferences to elaborate two new legally binding instruments:
- The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity can help fight impunity and bring justice to the most vulnerable.
- And the Treaty on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters has the potential to foster cooperation based on human dignity, alongside sovereign equality and international solidarity.
This upcoming session’s International Law Week will provide a unique opportunity to showcase how an international order based on international law, with the UN Charter at its core, can deliver a better world for all.
However, this has been the easy part, because everybody in the room agrees that we need a strong international order in the interest of all of us.
But it’s not only about substance and the things we have achieved so far to defend, we have also the role of modernizing our institutions.
And therefore I would like to take a couple of minutes to look at the nitty gritty parts which are as important as defending the international rules-based order in this 80th session.
Because none of this work will be possible if we do not adapt to the challenges facing this organization today.
As I also said during the General Debate, this is not an ordinary session.
We stand at a crossroads financially and politically.
Also a house of diplomacy and dialogue needs from time to time a modernization.
We have to be more efficient. We have to be more agile.
Otherwise, cynics will succeed in weaponizing these failures against the institution itself.
Therefore, the UN80 initiative is as important as standing up for international law and principles.
And this UN80 initiative is more than a cost cutting exercise.
Rather, it’s an opportunity to ensure that this institution adapts to the 21st century and remains fit for purpose.
It demands us to prioritize and to be creative in our work.
It includes ensuring that we minimize or eliminate inefficiencies, and especially duplications between resolutions and mandates, to deliver better for the people we serve.
As I have encouraged all other thematic committees, I would like to encourage also you the Sixth Committee, to think critically about whether each resolution, each SG report requested, even each paragraph, is truly necessary or even still makes sense in our current context, especially if we call for reports which lack funding.
This also includes the commitments made in the resolution on GA revitalization to review working methods during this session and to submit concrete proposals to the General Committee on how to make our work more efficient and effective.
All Committees must think carefully before simply repeating or copy-pasting resolutions and working methods of the past.
Instead, the UN80 initiative must demonstrate that we are capable of making our Organization better, together.
Excellencies,
Delegates,
Experts,
Our United Nations, and the multilateral system itself, is built upon the bedrock principles of international law.
When Member States undermine international law, they undermine the very foundation of this Organisation.
So, I encourage you all to protect it, to defend it, and to improve it — keeping in mind the people we serve.
I look forward to working together with you all in this endeavour.
I thank you.