Video Remarks by the President of the General Assembly?
H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock
at the 151st?Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly
23 October,?2025
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[As?Delivered]
Dr. Tulia Ackson,
Mr. Martin Chungong,
Distinguished Speakers and Members of Parliaments,
It is my pleasure to address the 151st IPU Assembly ahead of UN Day.
Even though you have met in this Assembly for over 150 years, you probably feel the same way as I did when I opened the 80th Session of the General Assembly last month: this is no ordinary year.
The international order is facing fierce headwinds.
And the theme of your General Debate, “Upholding Humanitarian Norms in Times of Crisis”?could not be more timely.
It is not just the United Nations that is under pressure, but the entire system of international norms and global cooperation.
Therefore, on the eve of the 80th?anniversary of the United Nations, I call upon all of you, as parliamentarians, as fathers, as mothers, as grandparents, as citizens, representing billions around the world, to stand up for the cornerstone of our international order: the UN Charter.
It is more than just a piece of paper, for eight decades it has been the life insurance of every country, big or small, rich or poor.
Because we know that even the strongest country in the world cannot confront global challenges alone.
Just take the climate crisis: it does not stop at borders; emissions anywhere affect people everywhere.
Having served as a parliamentarian myself for many years, I know that defending these international norms and standards is easy to say in speeches like this, but it is another story when you feel the pressure in heated debates in parliament or face firestorms on social media.
Especially if you’re standing up for these principles as a woman or a young parliamentarian.
As so many female Presidents and Heads of Government reminded us during the commemoration of the 30th?anniversary of the Beijing Declaration during High-level Week in New York, when the headwinds are strong, we must hold the line together to defend our rights and freedoms.
And therefore, the theme for the 80th?session of the General Assembly reflects this truth, “Better Together”.
That is why meetings like this are so important, bringing together voices from North and South, East and West, to defend our shared norms and principles, even, and especially, in times of crisis.
And not just to collaborate, but also to connect and communicate with your citizens.
You as parliamentarians in the 21st?century know the value of communication, not only with each other in parliamentary chambers or like in New York in the General Assembly Hall, but also with the 8 billion people you serve.
On this 80th?anniversary of the United Nations, we celebrate not just the story of an institution, but the story of people all around the world who are standing up for peace and justice, and fighting every day for our principles, our United Nations Charter—parliamentarians, world leaders, and ordinary citizens alike.
So I invite you to join this celebration of our United Nations and its billions of champions across eight decades by sharing the communications material we have sent you tomorrow on UN day or in the coming weeks in your parliaments.
Because without your vital work—at the IPU, in your national parliaments, or even in discussions with your citizens in town halls and maybe pubs—global agreements like the UN Charter would remain simply empty promises.
So I count on you to make them a reality together, Better Together.
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