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Annalena Baerbock (President of the General Assembly) - Geneva Press Briefing
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Edited News , Press Conferences | General Assembly , UNITED NATIONS

Annalena Baerbock (President of the General Assembly) - Geneva Press Briefing

ENG FRA

UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock

TRT: 3 min 02s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 24 FEBRUARY 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Speaker:

  • Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly

 

SHOTLIST 

  

  1. Exterior wide, UN Geneva flag alley.  
  2. Wide, podium shot.
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another world because generations like mine have always had the privilege to live a life in peace. But this changed four years ago with the full invasion of Russia, of the neighbouring country of Ukraine.”
  4. Wide, Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly speaking to journalists.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “I urge Member States to uphold human rights not only here in Geneva or New York, but also at the national level; in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar and so many other places around the world, everywhere, every day.”
  6. Wide, Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly addressing room, photographers, journalists.
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “Human rights are fundamental to the UN; not new demands, not optional. As we are celebrating also the 80th year of the General Assembly and very soon of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there have been women’s rights as human rights from the beginning, all; it says all humans, not all men.”
  8. Wide, Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly addressing room.
  9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “193 Member States agreed last year in the resolution on revitalization that they called all together to strongly encourage nomination of women.”
  10. Wide, photographer taking shot beneath TV screen showing Ms. Baerbock.
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “Sometimes there are strong calls, but the closer the decision comes, then suddenly it's being forgotten that not only there has been a poll, but that half of the population are indeed women.”
  12. Medium-wide, Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly addressing room from podium.
  13. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “In my case, when I was running for different positions, ‘Are you not too young? Others are now rising, well, are you not too old?’ And interestingly enough, these questions are being heard way more for women than for men.”
  14. Medium-wide, TV screen showing Ms. Baerbock, journalists.
  15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “Every Member State has to pay its contribution in full and in time. And [$] 160 million are obviously not in full.” 
  16. Medium, photographer taking shot in front of TV screen showing Ms. Baerbock.
  17. SOUNDBITE (English) – Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly: “I would like to underline that this is not simple figures and numbers, this is about people dying. If we have to cut humanitarian aid by 20 per cent, if we have withdrawal, especially from the World Health Organization but and also less funding of the World Food Organization, this means literally that especially infants are dying.”
  18. Wide, journalists.
  19. Wide, journalists, photographer.
  20. Medium, journalist.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended an era, says UN General Assembly President

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.

In a wide-ranging press conference taking in the UN’s perilous financial situation, the chances of the next Secretary-General being a woman along with challenges and priorities for the global body at a time of spiking geopolitical tensions, the head of the General Assembly insisted on the need to protect the rights of everyone “everywhere, every day”.

“Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another world because generations like mine have always had the privilege to live a life in peace,” Ms. Baerbock told journalists in Geneva. “But this changed four years ago with the full invasion [by] Russia, of the neighbouring country of Ukraine.”

Marking four years to the day since Russian tanks headed for Kyiv, the senior UN official condemned the ongoing deadly conflict that has killed thousands, including civilians unable to reach bomb shelters in time.

“They told me count till 40 and if you're still alive you obviously made it because with the rockets being shot over the border there is no time in many places to find a safer place,” Ms. Baerbock told journalists in Geneva, recounting the testimony of a teenage girl she met while visiting Kharkiv, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Russian border.

The principle of protecting human rights and addressing suffering everywhere around applies as much to Geneva and New York as it does “in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar and so many other places around the world”, she insisted. “Unfortunately, some of these crises do not even make it to the news at all.”

Human rights of men and women remain “fundamental to the UN” and are “not new demands” just as much as they are “not optional”, Ms. Baerbock continued. “There have been women’s rights as human rights from the beginning, it says ‘all human [beings]’, not all men.”

Asked whether it seemed less likely that a woman might be elected as the next UN Secretary-General as the election process draws nearer, the General Assembly President highlighted that the body’s entire membership of 193 countries last year issued a collective call “to strongly encourage nomination of women”.

Despite this unanimous position, “the closer the decision comes, then suddenly it's being forgotten that …half of the population are indeed women”, she continued. Citing her personal experience of “realpolitik” when running for different positions, Ms. Baerbock recounted being asked: ‘Are you not too young? Are you not too old?’ This kind of discrimination is heard “way more for women than for men”, she insisted.

Once Secretary-General António Guterres’s second and final term in office ends on 31 December, the new UN chief will most likely have to continue to grapple with the Organization’s crippling funding crisis running into the billions of dollars, in large part caused by the increasing late payments of dues - or partial or even non-payment - by Member States.

“Every Member State has to pay its contribution in full and in time. And [$]160 million are obviously not in full,” Ms. Baerbock said, in response to a question about whether the UN is still heading for financial collapse.

“I would like to underline that this is not simple figures and numbers, this is about people dying. If we have to cut humanitarian aid by 20 per cent, if we have withdrawal, especially from the World Health Organization but and also less funding of the World Food Organization, this means literally that especially infants are dying - because the special nutrition for infants, for children, is what the UN is mainly delivering in places of crisis. And if we cut 20 per cent of this delivery, 20 per cent of infants won't survive.”

ends

Teleprompter
[Other language spoken]
Let's start this press briefing of the Information Service of the UN here in Geneva.
Today is Tuesday, 24th of February, and we have the great honour to start this briefing with a special guest who is Her Excellency, Mrs Annalena Berbok, President of the General Assembly.
As we have announced to you, the President will speak about what she's just done yesterday at the Council of Human Rights and also the priorities for the remainder of the 80th session.
We'll hear from her with some introductory remark.
We will open the floor to questions afterwards and we will have to stop at around 10:30.
10/25 10:30 Mrs Berbock, you have the floor.
[Other language spoken]
And as this is my first time to address you as President of the General Assembly here in Geneva, I would like to thank you for being here as UN press corps and also to get into the exchange.
As we are having this briefing on the 24th of February, I would like with a flashback.
4 years ago, people in Europe woke up in another world, because generations like mine have always had the privilege to live a life in peace.
But this changed four years ago with the full invasion of Russia of the neighbouring country of Ukraine.
And within these four years the world has turned.
But the situation for the millions of Ukrainian, millions of children has remained the same.
And I will never forget one teenager's voice who I met in Kharkov, just 40 kilometres away from the Russian water, also in a cold winter day by -15°.
And she said, actually, we fled to Italy, but we could not stay, seeing from outside our friends, our relatives dying.
Ukraine is my home.
So she returned.
I don't know if she's still alive because what I learned there as well is that at some parts in Ukraine you do not have time to get into shelters.
They told me count till 40 and if you're still alive you obviously made it because with the Rockets being shot over the border there is no time in many places to find a bit more safer place.
This also meant that these teenager girls and all the other children could not go to school and the only wish was I would best like to play volleyball again like every girl in Europe.
So while the world has turned in the last four years, we should never get used to war.
We should work every day for peace, even in the darkest hours, not only in Ukraine, but everywhere else around the world.
Every child around the world has a right to go to school and not to count until 40 to see if she or he is still alive.
And This is why, especially here in Geneva, where there is the international place for human rights, it is so important to underline that we need an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire.
This war needs to finally end and let me all to reiterate any peace agreement must be grounded in the UN Charter, international law and the General Assembly Resolutions, meaning respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.
This is a clear and resolute and unwavering position of the UN General Assembly, and this is the only path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
When I addressed the opening of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council yesterday, I called on Member States not to be silent bystanders when injustice unfolds, when human rights are attacked, because we saw it in Ukraine, but we saw it also in so many other places around the world.
Human rights violations, the attack on the dignity of people, are the first alarming signals for further horror to follow.
Therefore, we all need to protect and defend the universal human rights and reaffirm that human rights are indivisible and interconnected with the other pillars of our work, peace and security and development.
Therefore, I urge Member States to uphold human rights not only here in Geneva or New York, but also at the national level in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory, in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar and so many other places around the world, everywhere, every day.
And above all, to promote and protect women rights as human rights, because women rights are the indicator for a state of society.
We see that in the most horrible dimension in Afghanistan, another forgotten crisis.
In Afghanistan, women are girls are facing the most severe human rights systematic attacks.
And we could also see, and I underlined that yesterday, that shying away from human rights abuses will never change it to the better, always to the worst.
From girls being denied schooling in Afghanistan and now even being treated as second class humans, which doesn't exist in international law, But also to child marriage in Sahel, a woman shot in the face in Iran simply for demonstrating peacefully, and grandmothers reliving the horrors of sexual violence.
Again and again in so many places, attacks on rights of women and girls are signal of a broader rollback of human rights.
Human rights, as I said, are the benchmark and women rights are the benchmark for the state of society.
In this regards, I would like to underline again, human rights are fundamental to the UN, not new demands, not optional, as we are celebrating also the 80th year of the General Assembly and very soon of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
There have been women rights as human rights from the beginning.
All it says all humans, not all men.
Therefore, my main priority for the remainder of my time as President of the General Assembly is to defend this institution, its charter and the principles enshrined in it.
Because as human rights are under attack, it is also the whole UN system.
And I call on member states, not only here in Geneva, but everywhere I go, to step up and stand up, to show leadership, to take a principled stand and to come together to build a cross regional alliance to protect and promote the principles of the Charter because they are the life insurance for most of the countries around the world.
Another key priority will be the UNAD reform process.
And I had the honour of debating with all the permanent representatives here in Geneva the different reform steps.
I won't go into details because it's complex as you know, but if you have any questions on the UNAD reform process, this is an essential process and it's way more than just being more efficient.
It's making this 80 year old institution more modern, more agile, more effective to deliver on the ground.
This includes also the selection process of the next Secretary General, which will also fall into this sessions term, the interactive dialogue.
So we'll start on the 20th of April.
And again, I would like to invite you also as correspondents here in Geneva, to engage intensively in this process, because the person we choose will be the face of the United Nations in the future.
[Other language spoken]
In these fragmented times, none of this is easy and it can't be done alone.
Therefore, the model of the alias session of this UNGA is Better Together.
And when I chose this model before being elected as PGA, I didn't know how important this motto will be.
But we see it all around the world.
No one can face these challenges globally alone.
So being Better Together is also a matter of underlining that there are so many fields in a positive way where joining hands makes you stronger and makes you Better Together.
And therefore our campaign is being showcased also here again in the Palais de Nacion this week.
So if you go around, you will see an united, undivided and other very important messages showing that the United Nations is saving lives every day.
And I think this is the most noble thing you can do.
[Other language spoken]
We thank you very much.
We thank you very much, Mrs Burbrook, for this introductory remarks.
I see already quite a few questions on the in the room and on the platform.
So I will start with Lohon Sierra, who is the representative of the Swiss news agency.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for that briefing yesterday in you, in your speech, you stressed a lot on the importance this time for the member state to choose a woman as the next SG.
Does that mean that you're worried that they might go for another choice again this time or was it just a reminder?
And then quickly here in Geneva, some voices are starting to mount to criticise the fact that some leaders could not come to the high level week last time and that because of that, UNGM should be moved to Geneva.
What do you think about it?
As a president of the General Assembly, I don't represent my personal views but the call of the Member States.
And the good thing is that in these fragmented times, 193 Member States agreed last year in the resolution on refertilisation that they called altogether to strongly encourage nomination of women.
And this is the call I'm repeating everywhere I go, because we are also living in a world of realpolitik that especially women have experienced.
That sometimes there are strong calls, but the closer the decision comes, then suddenly it's being forgotten that not only there has been a call, but that half of the population are indeed women.
And as I'm obviously also a woman, only the 5th, by the way, as President of the General Assembly.
So you can see that in the different post also.
The UN has not delivered on its promise of equal representation, but we are working on it.
I know also myself that it's sometimes no coincidence that suddenly new questions are arising in my case when I was running for different positions.
Are you not too young?
Others are now rising.
Well, are you not too old?
And interestingly enough, these questions are being heard way more for for women than for men.
Then This is why I'm raising also the alarming bells that everybody is reminded what they together called for in their joint resolution.
With regard to the second question, again, unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world because the rules are crystal clear, which means that obviously the United Nations is a place where everybody has a seat and the and the voice at the table, meaning that they have to be able to come to the different meeting places.
Yet I would like to underline that also in the past we had unfortunately the situation that these rules have been not followed all the time.
And therefore the SG and myself, we called also at the last UNGA at the host to comply to the rules of the United Nations.
And if needed, we will do that again also in the future.
Yet I would like to add because I'm a fan of being very built and open and not sugar coating with easy solutions.
Because we are in the midst of the UNAD reform.
As you always say, the devil lies in details.
In principle, it sounds very easy to move meetings to say well, let's meet at another place.
In reality, logistics also matter.
So we have had also hear situations, for example in the UNAD debate to say some meeting places are more expensive than others, so let's meet somewhere else in the world.
But if in these places you don't have interpretation, you don't have the meeting rooms which are big enough, you don't have the security.
In my own home country, we have the problems of a flight connection at different meeting places.
So therefore, some of the easy proposal sometimes sound very simple, but in reality, it's very, very hard to implement that.
Then also de facto everybody could reach other places due to logistics.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Secretary General Guterres warned last month of imminent financial collapse.
Since then, the US has paid 160 million of over 4 billion owed.
That's obviously a small fraction.
Are we still heading for financial collapse and can we afford anger this year?
And secondly, on Ukraine, since you began with that, typically there's a resolution, I understand on the anniversary in New York condemning Russian aggression.
What is the situation this year?
Is there such a resolution?
How does it differ from previous years?
And what message does that send on support for Ukraine four years into the war?
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
With regard to the contributions, again, the UN regulations are crystal clear.
Every Member States has to pay its contribution in full and in time, and 160 million are obviously not in full and This is why we regularly call also in the General Assembly on Member States to pay their contributions in full and in time.
And as you mentioned, we have a severe liquidity crisis.
And I would like to underline that this is not simple figures and numbers.
This is about people dying.
If we have to cut humanitarian aid by 20%, if we have withdrawal especially from the World Health Organisation, but also less funding of the World Food Organisation, this means literally that especially infants are dying.
Because the special nutrition for infants, for children is what the UN is mainly delivering in places of crisis.
And if we cut 20% of this delivery, 20% of infants won't survive.
So we're speaking about real people here and therefore my call together with the SG is on every member state to pay in full and on time.
But also if we are facing this liquidity crisis on every other member states who we are thankful for that they pay their computations as they should to look at voluntary funding.
But also I called on the European Union, for example, in my speech just to wait two weeks ago in Strasbourg to consider again if the financial rule which means that the UN has to pay back money which has not been spent.
Even though if this money never reached the UN because Member states did not pay it.
Meaning that we have even more severe cuts because of the non payment.
And this is a decision which could be taken by Member States to waive for a certain amount of time, but also unlimited, these reimbursement of money which never was paid in the 1st place.
And again, I call on Member State to consider these options because the UN is the United Nations of all the Member States.
So it lies in all of their hands.
With regard to Ukraine, Yeah, we have the the the meetings today and tomorrow in New York.
And there is a text being circulated requesting not only for a meeting but also a short text which expresses concern that the full scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has persisted for four years and continues to have devastating and long lasting consequences.
It has three key operative paragraphs.
It calls, like before, for an immediate and full unconditional ceasefire between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
It reiterates its call for comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the international law, including the UN Charter.
And it reiterates the call for the complete exchange of prisoners of war, the release of all unlawfully detained persons, and the return of all internees and civilian forcibly transferred and deported, including children, as a significant confidence measures.
And it will be up to member states whether they adopt this text today in New York.
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for the briefing.
[Other language spoken]
Could you elaborate a little bit further on what you'd like to see this year from the process?
We've already see some results last year.
This is the last year also of the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
So what would you like to see at the end of the year in terms of results from this lengthy process?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
First of all, this is work in process.
Like with any institutional reform, it's not you do some action, then it's over.
[Other language spoken]
Unfortunately, we haven't done it over the last 80 years as intensively if as it had should have been needed.
And therefore we have to do now some steps which are overdue.
As you probably know, they are the three work streams for the moment.
We could succeed in preventing the liquidity crisis as the fiscal committee could agree on the budget currently.
But as your colleague mentioned, we are facing the situation again.
So the most important task is to avoid the liquidity crisis.
As I mentioned before.
Then within Workstream 2, the responsibility especially also for the General Assembly.
I've appointed 2 Co chairs from New England and Jamaica and we are intensively in the work of turning every stone in our work of the General Assembly.
This starts by limiting speaking time because every minute costs.
If you translate speeches by 193 member States in the different official languages, you have interpretation, you have paperwork.
So these are the low hanging fruits.
Other parts are the mandates.
We have thousands of mandates over the 80 years, unfortunately without sunset clauses.
So there's a strong call by many member states to review these mandates again, also to avoid duplications.
What I addressed yesterday, especially between New York and Geneva in this case with regard to the third Pillar of Human Rights, duplication between the Human Rights Council and the Third Committee.
With regard to the third work stream, looking at the different agency, again, a very important topic here also for Geneva, because we have so many specialised bodies and agencies here.
So the proposal is on the table is, for example, for Merchel, looking where agencies over the year developed duplication and could be more efficient if they join hands together.
One very important aspect for the Secretariat, the SG and the DSG and myself is about the resident coordinators, because on the ground it's about implementation.
So if you have 10 or sometimes even more different agencies working on the ground, everybody has their own car.
Again, it sounds very small and simple, but in numbers it really, really can save a lot of money and make the work more efficient.
Also about the duplication of work.
So implementing on all the three different work streams is key.
And as much as we can succeed in this ADS session, the better it is because obviously with the change also then to a new Secretary general and the whole new team in the secretariat, it will be a bit more difficult.
Thank you very much.
Let's go now to the platform.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for the opportunity.
I saw too much sympathy with children from Ukraine and women from Afghanistan and Iran.
And we all have this sympathy, but I may I remind you of what you said in Bungstad in October 2024.
And I quote you, Madam, civilian areas in Gaza can lose their protected status when Hamas fighters hide among the people.
Do you still have the same position today after being the President of UN General Assembly and maybe more familiar with the international law and Geneva Convention?
Do you still have the same position?
And do you see any differences between children from Gaza and women from Gaza and other civilians in other wars?
[Other language spoken]
No, not at all.
And as you were quoting or partly quoting from the past, there have been many quotes for myself also in the past, especially in the context of the war in Gaza and the situation after the 7th of October, that a life is alive, that a Palestinian life is alive and an Israeli life is alive.
And This is why for me, it was so important to go there as often as I could to the Middle East, to underline again that it's not about choosing between the life of a Palestinian child or an Israeli child.
And I think this is the most important message.
Human rights are in this, in this invisible.
They belong together.
And it's the same between nations.
It's not about whether children are suffering more in Ukraine or in Sudan or somewhere around the world.
We have to address the suffering everywhere around the world.
And unfortunately, some of these crises do not even make it to the news at all.
We have conflicts around the world about nobody is speaking.
And This is why it's so important to address the different contexts at different situation.
And context matters.
And This is why I said that also in New York, because I've been asked this question many times before.
It was not the correct quote, especially not quoting with regard to children in Gaza, what I said there.
And I say today again that with regard to humanitarian law, that the misuse of civil places is also forbidden in international law.
And I said also in the German parliament that it brings in situation of war, especially civilians in this horrible situation.
And this is not about legalising any attacks, because I also said that civilians must protect it in international law.
And this understanding has been repeated also in the current resolutions calling on Hamas for laying down its weapons, calling on Hamas to not misuse civilians as civilian protection place.
But thank you also again for raising this question.
Because for me, this is a very important topic that in these times where social media is just spreading out short sentences out of context, it makes it very difficult to stand up for our Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Because unfortunately, there's a tendency of having debates between black and white and pretending that we had to to choose between different people and different nationality.
But there's a reason that it says in our Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all humans, doesn't matter which religion, which gender or which country they belong to.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Robin is from the the agents from space.
[Other language spoken]
With with the financial shortages which have already been spoken about and now we have the this Board of Peace being set up, are you concerned that the UN General Assembly is little by little being sidelined?
Again, the General Assembly and in this case the Security Council have been very clear in the related resolution.
They assigned the task through the situation of Gaza.
And for everything else regarding peace and security, we do have an international institution and legitimate body.
It's called United Nations, and for a good reason.
Every country, no matter how big or small, how rich or poor they are, have an equal place at the table and an equal voice at the table to be represented and to make sure that all their citizens are being represented as well.
Thank you very much.
Thanks to all of you for for participating in this beginning of the briefing.
We'll stay on the same link for the rest of the briefing.
I ask for your indulgence for two minutes to let the President of the General Assembly leave us.
And I really thank you very much, Madam, for this honour.
It's been really a pleasure to have you here.
Stay on the line please.