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Helping to resolve crises, deepening partnerships: Foreign Minister Wadephul travels to New York for the UN General Debate
Foreign Minister Wadephul at the UN General Assembly © Photothek Media Lab
In a world of crises and conflicts, Germany has a keen interest in binding rules and a stable international order. Germany is therefore calling for strong United Nations that is capable of taking action on the challenges of our time.
Once a year, the international community meets in New York for the High-Level Week at the United Nations. Over the course of the week, heads of state and government, foreign ministers and other high-ranking representatives of the 193 UN member states convene at the UN headquarters to discuss important global issues, ranging from climate change and sustainable development to upholding human rights.
At the General Debate, each country addresses the UN General Assembly, setting out its fundamental foreign policy positions. In addition, countless side events take place throughout the week at which multiple states that are particularly committed to specific topics exchange views.
The High-Level Week is also a form of “diplomatic speed-dating”, with hundreds of bilateral meetings taking place between government representatives to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Prior to his departure, Foreign Minister Wadephul commented on the role of the UN and the importance of the UN General Assembly:
The countries of the world established the UN more than 80 years ago to give humanity a place from which to work for a peaceful international order after the horrors of World War Two. The prospect of lasting co-existence free from conflict has today had to yield to a mode of permanent escalation. This is not something we can and want to get used to. We have a duty to pool our strengths to turn this around. The countless talks this week provide one of the few opportunities to do so.
Developing solutions to crises and working to achieve a stable international order
The numerous crises and conflicts currently dominating the international order are high up on the agenda. The meeting of the international community in New York is not only about identifying these issues but about seeking tangible solutions together.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure. At the same time, threats from Russia against EU and NATO member states are increasing – be they violations of airspace, the destruction of undersea cables, or hybrid attacks. Continued international support for Ukraine is therefore vital to ensure that the prospect of a future in freedom is preserved. At the same time, Russia must finally be made to realise that it is time for serious negotiations. After all, Russia is not only continuously violating the rules of international coexistence, but Putin is also leading his country towards economic ruin with thousands upon thousands of fatalities. Together with our partners, we will once again address this unacceptable conduct before the highest body of the United Nations, the Security Council, during the High-Level Week.
At the same time, the week will focus on how we can better protect critical infrastructure together with our partners, as well as the international community’s response to threats to maritime security. Tensions along key trade routes, such as the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, are severely restricting the global supply of energy, fertiliser and other goods. Alongside our own economy, this is impacting the countries of the Global South in particular. Germany will make a constructive contribution to resolving these conflicts as overcoming them is in our immediate interest.
Foreign Minister Wadephul on the importance of serious steps towards conflict resolution within the framework of the High-Level Week:
Germany will play its part and work to overcome the distressing absence of communication between the conflicting parties – both in Europe and in the Middle East.
After all, as the world gathers in New York over the coming days, it has to do more than just take stock of all the crises, conflicts and wars. All those bearing political responsibility should be ready to engage and struggle for even the smallest of steps towards a solution.
A United Nations capable of action and fit for the future
The international order is changing rapidly. This is happening not only as a result of wars such as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine or the ongoing conflict in the Sudan, which is one of the worst man-made humanitarian disasters. We are also witnessing how crises and global shifts are having a direct impact on our economy and, consequently, on efforts to safeguard our freedom and prosperity. In light of this situation, the United Nations must be made fit for the future. It should not merely manage the impacts of crises, but play an active role in helping to ensure that they can be mitigated or resolved. This will be the key task facing the new UN Secretary-General. Secretary-General António Guterres’ successor will be nominated in the coming weeks and is expected to take office at the start of 2027. Germany supports a fundamental process of renewal at the United Nations. It is, for example, advocating together with partner countries for Security Council reform. The organisation should become more efficient and capable of taking action, and its highest body should better reflect the world’s geopolitical realities. Countries of the Global South should therefore also be given a stronger voice.
Foreign Minister Wadephul on reform of the United Nations:
At the end of the day, to make sure we will have a stable international order in the future, we need a United Nations that does not first and foremost administer the crises and conflicts of our time but prepares the ground for solutions; as the active arm of the international community mediating, for example, in the war in the Sudan, helping end the blockade on trade routes or working to address human rights violations. And the UN needs to shoulder responsibility for the questions of our time, for example, how we can together deal with the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence.
Strengthening partnerships
The High-Level Week in New York is also a unique opportunity to exchange views with close allies, as well as to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones. This includes the G7 countries as leading industrial nations and democracies, who will liaise closely in New York, in addition to the G4 partners Brazil, India and Japan, with which Germany is calling for UN Security Council reform. It also encompasses heightened economic cooperation with the countries of Latin America. The High-Level Week likewise includes consultations with small island states on how, together, we can become more resilient in the face of the impacts of climate change.
The UN General Assembly is precisely the right forum for strengthening existing ties and forging new bonds to advance Germany’s interests as it is here that the entire world comes together.