UN Must Reform to Stay Strong for the Next 80 Years

Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. (file)

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, it must adapt and evolve to remain relevant for future generations, the President of the General Assembly said on Wednesday in New York.

Speaking ahead of high-level week, Annalena Baerbock stressed the importance of the UN Charter, the need for reform, and greater inclusivity. “Our task is to ensure that the UN stands strong for the next 80 years,” she said.

Baerbock highlighted her presidency’s theme, Better Together, noting that no single nation can face global challenges alone. She said the UN must evolve to respond to urgent crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti, as well as climate change, inequality, and technological disruption.

She underscored that this year’s focus should be advancing the UN80 reform agenda, guiding the selection of the next Secretary-General, and ensuring the implementation of the Pact for the Future.

The upcoming General Debate, with more than 150 world leaders attending, will be a chance to reaffirm the UN’s role as a platform for dialogue and its Charter principles.

Baerbock also voiced support for the two-State solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stressing that lasting peace cannot come through war, occupation, or terror.

She further pointed to meetings on women’s rights, youth, mental health, and the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, alongside renewed calls for nuclear disarmament.

Calling it a “make-or-break moment” for multilateralism, she urged world leaders to turn promises into action. “Our forebearers put aside their differences in 1945; we need that same conviction today,” she said.