General Assembly President urges Europeans to ‘stand up’ for the UN

In a key address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Annalena Baerbock repeated her call to uphold multilateralism amid “trying times” globally. 

She noted that just 40 days into 2026, the world has already seen crises around Venezuela, Iran and Greenland, on top of continuing devastation in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere.

International order ‘under attack’ 

“The international order is not only under pressure, it is under attack,” she told lawmakers.  

“And we face a new and more troubling kind of crisis: conflicts waged not even under the pretence of self-defence or respect for international law but often carried out in open defiance of it.” 

She warned that at precisely the moment the world most needs cooperation and the UN, “powers – even those who have a special responsibility to protect peace and security – are pulling away from it or even outright attacking it.”  

Protect the UN Charter 

Ms. Baerbock recalled that four years ago, when she was Germany’s Foreign Minister, she addressed the General Assembly and called for the UN to stand up for Europe’s peace as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

“Today, I’m coming as President of the General Assembly to Europe, calling for Europe to stand up for the United Nations because the world needs the UN. But right now, the UN and its principles as enshrined in the Charter, needs the world too,” she said, referring to all continents. 

“It needs you to form a cross-regional alliance to protect, defend and champion the Charter and the international rules-based system that benefits us all individually and collectively.” 

Defend the truth 

First and foremost, the EU must defend the truth in a world where “fake news, falsities, mis- and disinformation” are everywhere.  

“Defending the truth means we cannot negotiate the facts; we cannot ‘go along to get along’ in the hope that it will avoid a tariff,” she said.  

Ms. Baerbock acknowledged that defending the truth “is easier said than done, especially when you’re faced with blackmail or coercion, or threats and intimidation.”   

European unity over Ukraine 

She stressed, however, that “no one can do it alone”, highlighting European Union (EU) collective action in this regard. 

“Four years ago, Europe watched as 100,000 troops amassed on Ukraine’s borders, shocked into paralysis. Nobody could have imagined the EU, which has been described as ‘too slow and too bureaucratic, too divided’ would unite over a weekend,” she said. 

The invasion began on a Thursday and by that Monday morning “the EU collectively passed one of the largest sanctions packages ever recorded because it responded as one, with conviction and purpose.” 

‘The world is calling’ 

But Europe did not act alone as she pointed to late-night calls and pleas made to other countries around the world.  

“Today dear colleagues, the world is calling. It’s not only about Greenland, it’s also about Latin America, about Africa. Once again, it’s about the international peace order, once again it’s about the UN Charter,” she said. 

“The UN needs Europe and I count on your answer to be a clear and resounding: yes, we will be there for our peace, for the international peace order, for the United Nations.” 

Support UN reform 

The Assembly President said the UN also needs Europe “to reform it, to make it better, to make it more effective and efficient.”  While the 80-year-old Organization is not perfect, she insisted that the world would not be better off without it. 

“Imperfection is an opportunity to strengthen and refine, not to cut down and demolish,” said Ms. Baerbock. 

“We cannot allow those who would weaponize failings or setbacks to use existing inefficiencies or duplications as justification to unravel all that we have built, nor allow exclusive clubs to hold responsibilities for world peace.”  

Lead by example 

The UN is also “dealing with an existential liquidity crisis,” with some Member States not paying their assessed contributions – whether late, or not at all, for years. 

She noted that UN financial rules further require any “unspent” budgeted money to be returned to Member States, even if it was never received in the first place. 

“If the EU wants to preserve and strengthen the UN, then the EU should lead by example,” she said.  This includes paying dues on time and in full and proposing ways “to overhaul this Kafkaesque financial rule of reimbursing funds never received”. 

Similarly, the EU should step up when it comes to the selection of the next Secretary-General “as one might wonder how in 80 years the UN has never selected a woman to serve its highest office, despite there being four billion potential candidates on Earth.”