Former German Foreign Minister Baerbock starts UN job DW 09/07/2025

"Although she lost her post in the German government this year, Annalena Baerbock, the former German foreign minister, will continue to play a prominent role on the world stage. Until May, when Friedrich Merz of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was elected as the new German chancellor, the 44-year-old Green Party politician was still Germany's top diplomat. Then, on June 2, she was elected as the new president of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York."

"However, unlike her predecessors, Baerbock was not approved by the customary show of hands to signal unanimous approval, but through a secret ballot. According to diplomats, this procedure had been requested by Russia and was interpreted as a small act of malice, because as foreign minister, Baerbock had always openly criticized Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. In the end, she received 167 of 193 possible votes at the UN's headquarters in New York."

"The former Green Party co-leader and chancellor candidate will chair and manage meetings at the UN for the next year. It's a job that doesn't come with much public exposure. Baerbock will hold a lot of closed-door talks on issues to be discussed in the assembly. In collaboration with the UN ambassadors of the 193 member states, Baerbock will also help prepare for the election of a new UN Secretary-General next year."

Annalena Baerbock lost her government post but was elected UN General Assembly president on June 2 with 167 of 193 votes after a Russia-requested secret ballot. She served as Germany's foreign minister until Friedrich Merz became chancellor in May and left her Bundestag seat before assuming the UN role. The UN presidency involves chairing and managing General Assembly meetings, conducting numerous closed-door consultations, and working with the 193 member-state ambassadors to prepare next year’s Secretary-General election. The current Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, will remain in office until the end of 2026. Baerbock has not received universal congratulations from all German politicians.

Read at www.dw.com