At 3 pm (local time in New York) new President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock opened the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly session starts every year on the third Tuesday of September. This annual session typically runs for several months, from September through December.
Comprising 193 Member States of the United Nations, the General Assembly is the main policy-making organ that provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations.
All members states have an equal vote rights, this year the UNGA makes key decisions for the UN, including: appointing the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security Council, electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council, approving the UN budget
Inaugurating the 80th session of the UNGA, President Ms. Annalena Baerbock urged all Member States to unite in addressing global crises to climate change, from war and poverty.
Earlier she took her oath of office on the UN’s founding Charter from the San Francisco Conference in 1945 and accepted the Assembly’s ornate gavel from her predecessor, Philémon Yang of Cameroon.
Underscoring the UN’s vital role in humanitarian assistance in the time of world needs she pledged to lead with courage and inclusiveness.
“Our world is in pain, indeed. But imagine how much more pain there would be without the United Nations,” Ms. Baerbock underscored in the General Assembly Hall, promising to serve all 193 members equally like to be “a bridge builder” and to ensure every voice is heard to make the UN “fit for the 21st century.”
Congratulating Ms. Baerbock on her election, Secretary-General António Guterres in his speech praised the new UNGA President’s vision and experience.
“To re-build trust and faith in one another among all the Member States, the United Nations is a floor on which the UN Charter provides the tools to work as one,” Mr. Guterres stressed.
Earlier in the day, outgoing Assembly President Philémon Yang closed the 79th session.
