Multilateral system is not only under pressure, it is under attack: UN General Assembly chief

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN General Assembly President, Annalena Baerbock, on Wednesday pointed to a "more urgent make-or-break moment" in the new year across the globe and warned that the global multilateral system is "under attack."

In her address to the General Assembly on her priorities for 2026, Baerbock said: "In ordinary times, I would wish you a Happy New Year, but looking at the world outside, how 2026 started in Caracas, Tehran, frankly, happiness is in short supply."

"We find ourselves at an even more urgent make-or-break moment than four months ago, when I opened the 80th session," she said, warning that "The multilateral system is not only under pressure, it is under attack."

Pointing to the developments from Gaza to Afghanistan, from Sudan to Ukraine since Sept. 2025, Baerbock said: "The world needs the United Nations. In no way would the world be better off without our United Nations."

"It is worth fighting for," she added.

Calling on UN member states to uphold and defend the UN Charter and international law, she said: "We all know, no country can sleep in peace while more and more Member States, including some P5, violate the core principles of our Charter."

She also stressed the need for a "consensus" among member states and said: "A strong General Assembly majority is, in that case, not a failure of multilateralism; it is an affirmation of it."

Noting that the election of the next UN Secretary-General would be among the key priorities this year, she said that the nomination process is underway and that interactive dialogues with candidates are planned for the week of April 20.

"The next Secretary General will not only be the face and voice of this institution, our choice will also tell whether this organization is truly serving all of humanity, half of whom are women and girls," she said.

Encouraging member states to nominate women candidates in particular, Baerbock said: "We need someone who is up to the task at hand; who can chart a path to the future, while passionately defending the principles of our Charter."

Election of new UN Secretary General

In a joint letter sent to the UN member states, the UN General Assembly and the Security Council formally launched the process to select the next UN Secretary General on Nov. 26, inviting them to submit candidates.

The letter stated that each member state may nominate only one candidate, either individually or as part of a group of states, and that the Council will assess the candidates and forward a selected nominee to the General Assembly for a final vote by the end of July 2026.

UN Secretary General candidates must not be vetoed by any of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

In the Security Council's secret ballot, candidates must receive at least nine votes, and to be elected, they must also secure at least 97 votes in the UN General Assembly.