Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), issued a stark warning that crises in any part of the world can now impact global food and energy prices, giving rise to an urgent need for institutional reform at the UN.
Baerbock visited China from April 29 to 30. In an interview with China Media Group during the visit, the UNGA president emphasized the interconnectedness of global challenges.
"The most important job for the President of the General Assembly is to defend the Charter and its principles, standing up for peace and security, sustainable development and human rights, and making sure that if we have violations, we speak up, because we know if not everybody is playing to the rules anymore, it harms everybody around the world," Baerbock said.
"We see it currently, for example, with the Strait of Hormuz and the war going on in the Middle East. It can be thousands of kilometers apart from other regions, but the effects are being felt everywhere. So, a crisis happening in one part of the world means in an interconnected world that the effects are being seen everywhere -- food prices, energy prices," she added.
Reflecting on the UN's 80th anniversary, Baerbock called for a renewed commitment to its values and principles.
"We have the 80th Session of the General Assembly, so this means 80 years since the creation of the United Nations. Normally, it would be a time for celebration, but given the global challenges, it is especially a time for re-commitment to the values and principles and reforming the United Nations," she said.
The widespread recognition of a need for such reform has led to a concerted effort to revitalize key UN organizations and double down on development goals.
"Because after 80 years, this house of diplomacy needs an update and refresh. So, we are in the midst of a deep reform called UN80 -- making the UN more efficient, more agile, and especially the work on the ground of the different agencies, like the World Food Program, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, more coherent, (so) that we can really deliver for the people on the ground because we promised them with a Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda in 2030, that we will ensure education for every girl and every boy, that we bring people out of poverty, and that we have access for clean drinking water for everybody. And this is the promise we have to keep," said the UNGA president.
The UN80 Initiative, introduced in March 2025, focuses on identifying efficiencies and improvements within existing frameworks, reviewing how member states' requests are carried out, and exploring changes to the agency's structure.
UNGA president calls for UN reform amid rising global crises
