Former German Foreign Minister Baerbock elected UNGA president
Annalena Baerbock of Germany addresses the United Nations General Assembly after she was elected as president of the 80th session of the body, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
HAMILTON (BERNAMA-ANADOLU): Former foreign minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock was elected on Monday (June 2) as president of the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which will begin in September, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
Baerbock conveyed her gratitude for the "overwhelming support" from member states for her election.
The current president of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang, wholeheartedly congratulated Baerbock on her election.
"I warmly congratulate Her Excellency, Annalena Baerbock, on her election as the next president of the United Nations General Assembly.
"It is fitting that in this milestone 80th year of the General Assembly, leadership should fall to someone whose career has been defined by an unwavering commitment to multilateralism," Yang said.
Arguing that the "challenges of our time are enormous," Yang said Baerbock's pledge to serve as an honest broker - to listen, build trust, and foster dialogue across different divides - is precisely what this Assembly needs.
"Our priorities align powerfully with the aspirations of our global community," he said, expressing his "full support" for Baerbock.
In her remarks, Baerbock expressed her commitment to serving all and said: "My door will always be open to everyone - better together."
"My first key objective will be to support member states to renew, to refocus, and to make our organisation fit for purpose - fit for the 21st century," she said.
As her second priority, Baerbock emphasised the importance of "the Pact for the Future."
"It is key to further strengthen the role of the General Assembly with regard to peace and security matters, in close cooperation with the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission," she said, adding that her third priority "is a United Nations that embraces everyone." - Bernama-Anadolu
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Navigating together for a cohesive future
Social cohesion may be a modern phrase, but it is an ancient idea of a solution for a fragmented world. The old world struggled to create what an old African tradition calls an "I am because we are" cohesiveness; ours, too, is struggling. Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah offered four guiding principles to build the cohesive societies we yearn for in his keynote address titled "Navigating Uncertainty" to the 3rd International Conference on Cohesive Societies in Singapore on Wednesday. But first, a few words on "three interlocking factors" that fuel uncertainty and challenge social cohesion. One is the paradox of digital societies, a challenge that the world of old never faced. Call it a modern rising tide of uncertainty, to borrow the royal phraseology. Why paradox? Well, we are the most connected and yet disconnected at the same time. Think digital echo chambers. Here is Sultan Nazrin's take: "Our digital spaces which should be so good at opening doors and minds, are instead responsible for closing them." Hate speech is an example. The second is international migration. While migration is as old as humanity, never has it occurred in such numbers as people search for safety, opportunity and dignity. In 25 years, according to an estimate by the United Nations, one eighth of humanity will be migrants, escaping climate change, conflict, economic and political instability at home. Sultan Nazrin put it best: "These forces are rewriting the geography of human life." Finally, the uneven economic impacts of globalisation. The sultan acknowledges the "immense benefits" of globalisation between countries, but within them it has been "one of winners and losers". A tough one to disagree with. Losing out is a common story in a world made for, and perhaps even by, the richest one per cent. In the words of Sultan Nazrin, "extremes of inequality enabled the ultra-rich to fund political influence through lobbying, political financing and their control of traditional and social media." A spade is finally being called a spade. So what does it mean to wisely navigate uncertainty? That is the royal question. It means following four guiding principles. Firstly, rebuild trust by reinvesting in the social contract. This requires "transparent institutions, accountable leadership, and civic spaces where people feel seen and heard". Secondly, prioritise equity. This can only happen when "social, economic and ecological justice" is "at the heart of policy". Justice seldom gets spoken like this. To Sultan Nazrin, equity isn't just about disparities among people, but also about imbalances between people and the planet. Yes, close human gaps but don't forget to heal our relationship with the planet. That is the royal advice. Thirdly, embrace pluralism. Some may misunderstand this to mean a call for uniformity. Envisaging this, the sultan is quick to point out that "social cohesion does not demand uniformity". What it requires, though, is respectful accommodation of diversity and perspectives, the sultan contends. Not unlike the purpose of human creation: to get to know each other despite our differences. Finally, imagine boldly. It is a royal call for inclusion, from education to policymaking. Perhaps it is best to end with Sultan Nazrin's magnanimous advice: "Hold space for difference without surrendering to division." We could not have put it better.
The Star
17 hours ago
- The Star
Chinese reporter injured in Ukraine drone attack on Kursk
A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Kursk region on the border with Ukraine injured a war correspondent from the Chinese news outlet Phoenix TV, Russian authorities said, urging the United Nations to respond to the incident. 'A Ukrainian drone today struck the village of Korenevo in the Korenevsky district,' acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, said on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday. 'A 63-year-old correspondent, Lu Yuguang, who went to the border area on his own, was injured.' Khinshtein said in a later post that the journalist had skin cuts to his head and after treatment, refused hospitalisation. Russia's foreign ministry called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international organisations to 'promptly respond and give a proper assessment' of the incident. 'The targeted attack .... indicates the intention of the Kyiv regime to silence and de facto destroy representatives of any media that seek to convey objective information,' Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry's spokesperson, said in a Telegram post. Phoenix TV reported the incident but has not issued a separate statement. According to Russia's state and official media outlets, Lu has been reporting on the war since its early days. Russia launched the war with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. Lu told Russia's state news agencies that he was feeling fine. 'Western journalists are not visible at all (in Kursk),' Lu said in a video posted by TASS on social media, with his head in bandages, 'We, Chinese journalists, want to convey what happened in the Kursk region.' — Reuters
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Duty to uphold independence of judiciary — Hafiz Hassan
JUNE 28 — Make no mistake that Malaysia has a duty to uphold the independence of the judiciary. It is not just that—it must guarantee such independence as enshrined in its Constitution and/or the law of the country. It is the duty of the government and other institutions to respect and observe the independence of the judiciary. The above is the first principle of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary adopted by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held at Milan from August 26 to September 6, 1985 and endorsed by General Assembly resolutions 40/32 of November 29,1985 and 40/146 of December 13, 1985. This year is the 40th anniversary of the principles. The second principle is the judiciary must decide matters before them impartially, on the basis of facts and in accordance with the law, without any restrictions, improper influences, inducements, pressures, threats or interferences, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reason. The third is the judiciary must have jurisdiction over all issues of a judicial nature and must have exclusive authority to decide whether an issue submitted for its decision is within its competence as defined by law. Malaysia's duty to uphold the basic principles of independence of the judiciary does not impose on it the duty to extend the tenure of retiring judges notwithstanding their impeccable integrity. — Pexels pic The fourth is there must not be any inappropriate or unwarranted interference with the judicial process, nor must judicial decisions by the courts be subject to revision without prejudice to judicial review or to mitigation or commutation by competent authorities of sentences imposed by the judiciary, in accordance with the law. The fifth principle requires the judiciary to be entitled to ensure that judicial proceedings are conducted fairly and that the rights of the parties are respected. The sixth principle imposes a duty on each Member State to provide adequate resources to enable the judiciary to properly perform its functions. There are 20 principles in all. I do not wish to state all 20 principles, but allow me to add to the above, on qualifications and selection of judges. Persons selected for judicial office must be individuals of integrity and ability with appropriate training or qualifications in law. Any method of judicial selection must safeguard against judicial appointments for improper motives. In the selection of judges, there must be no discrimination against a person on the grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or status, except that a requirement, that a candidate for judicial office must be a national of the country concerned, must not be considered discriminatory. Malaysia's duty to uphold the basic principles of independence of the judiciary does not impose on it the duty to extend the tenure of retiring judges notwithstanding their impeccable integrity. The duty is to select and appoint judges of integrity and ability with appropriate training or qualifications in law, without improper motives and discrimination. *This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
