UNGA80 President: Hot Debates Show UN’s Strength

Over 190 world leaders spoke from the General Assembly podium during the high-level week, underscoring the UN’s enduring relevance as a form of “life insurance” for many developing countries, said President Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference marking the close of the annual general debate, she stressed that the high attendance – 189 countries, including 124 heads of state – showed the world still looks to the UN as a unique forum.

“If anybody had a doubt about whether this Organization still matters or is still relevant, you could see it in how crowded the room was,” she said.

Conflicts dominated proceedings in the General Assembly Hall, with leaders referencing the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and beyond.

Ms. Baerbock noted that peace and security were consistently linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscoring that “without delivering on the 2030 Agenda, sustainable peace won’t be reached.”

She said the discussions also highlighted the climate crisis as the defining threat of the century, requiring all nations to work collectively. Many leaders stressed that failure to act should not be blamed on the UN itself but on the collective will of Member States, she added.

The Assembly President described the UN as a place of “hot debates about hot topics,” but said such exchanges are a sign of vitality, not weakness.

UN reform – particularly of the global financial system and the Security Council – was another repeated call in speeches and bilateral meetings.

Ms. Baerbock urged leaders to carry those discussions back home: “It’s one thing to give a speech at the United Nations. But when you’re faced again with debates in your national parliament, it might sound a bit different.”

The 80th General Assembly session opened under the theme Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights.

194 speakers addressed the hall: 189 of the 193 UN Member States, three observers (Palestine, the Holy See and the EU), and Secretary-General António Guterres and Ms. Baerbock.

Only 24 women leaders took the podium – though that marked a modest increase from 2024.

The UN Secretary-General held 148 bilateral meetings and delivered 20 speeches, while more than 3,300 journalists covered UNGA80.

Alongside formal speeches, conferences and side events explored pressing issues ranging from regulating artificial intelligence to tackling non-communicable diseases.

Civil society experts, ministers and youth leaders took part in frank debates, which Ms. Baerbock said demonstrated the UN’s essential role in shaping the future.

She described moments of solidarity, such as the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on women’s rights, when “one female leader spoke after the other.”

“This week really mattered,” Ms. Baerbock said. “So, we keep working unafraid and unbroken, in the spirit of our year-long campaign – Better Together.”