On Tuesday, Germany\u2019s Annalena Baerbock will become the first European woman to hold the post and only the fifth female President in the Assembly\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
On the eve of Baerbock\u2019s inauguration, UN News<\/em> spoke with one of her predecessors. Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa, a former Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, led the Assembly from 2018 to 2019 as the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to do so.<\/p>\n Espinosa described the General Assembly<\/a> as \u201cthe laboratory of international law,\u201d noting that the role of President demands \u201chard work, good diplomacy, and the ability to conduct fair negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n The last woman to preside over the Assembly said she sees in Annalena Baerbock all the qualities needed for a \u201cbrilliant performance\u201d as the next President. She stressed that the German leader takes office at a time of \u201cprofound structural change within the institution, linked in part to financial challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n Espinosa believes Baerbock will play an \u201cabsolutely central\u201d role in implementing reforms under the UN80 process, as well as advancing commitments related to the Pact for the Future<\/a>, adopted in 2024.<\/p>\n For Espinosa, the UN\u2019s own history proves that it is \u201can irreplaceable organization, one humanity cannot do without \u2013 but which nonetheless must be reinvented.\u201d<\/p>\n Annalena Baerbock, President-elect of the eightieth session of the UN General Assembly, addresses the reporters following her election.<\/p>\n While welcoming the election of the Assembly\u2019s fifth female President in New York, Espinosa said this restructuring also provides an opportunity to rethink leadership styles and to finally consider a woman for the post of Secretary-General. The next appointment is expected in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real question is: why not?\u201d she asked, stressing that a woman could bring qualities such as \u201cstrong management and bridge-building.\u201d She added that a female Secretary-General would also represent an act of \u201chistoric justice,\u201d after 80 years of male leadership at the UN\u2019s helm.<\/p>\n The former Ecuadorian diplomat acknowledged one of the UN\u2019s biggest challenges: the gap between resolutions adopted in the General Assembly and their translation into national policies and regulations. This, she said, prevents multilateral decisions from producing tangible improvements in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n To address this, she called for a \u201cmore inclusive and networked multilateralism,\u201d in which citizens are informed about, engaged with, and able to monitor the international decisions being made.<\/p>\n Espinosa emphasized that \u201cmost of the work of the Presidency takes place behind the scenes,\u201d dealing with divisions and forging consensus.<\/p>\n She noted that the incoming President will increasingly face responsibilities linked to peace and security, as well as sustainable development.<\/p>\n Espinosa recalled that the very first resolution adopted by the General Assembly concerned the discovery of atomic energy, underscoring the need to adapt to a new force that could be harnessed for peaceful purposes but also cause \u201cterrible effects.\u201d<\/p>\n She highlighted defining moments during her own presidency, including the difficult negotiations that led to the adoption of the first Global Compact for Migration<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n The diplomat also expressed pride in internal advances, such as the decision to phase out single-use plastics at the UN, recognizing the harm they cause to human health and ecosystems.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Tuesday, Germany\u2019s Annalena Baerbock will become the first European woman to hold the post and only the fifth female President in the Assembly\u2019s history. On the eve of Baerbock\u2019s inauguration, UN News spoke with one of her predecessors. Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa, a former Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, led the Assembly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11611],"tags":[15259,614,4804,2283,6577,19435,848],"class_list":["post-29164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spyballoon-global-news","tag-assembly","tag-crucial","tag-leadership","tag-president","tag-reinvention","tag-uns","tag-women"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/assets\/2018\/12\/2018-12-17-TrusteeshipUNHCR-MariaFernandaEspinosa-PGA.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/service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GLOBAL NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"On Tuesday, Germany\u2019s Annalena Baerbock will become the first European woman to hold the post and only the fifth female President in the Assembly\u2019s history. On the eve of Baerbock\u2019s inauguration, UN News spoke with one of her predecessors. Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa, a former Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, led the Assembly…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29164"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29166,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29164\/revisions\/29166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Hard work and skilled diplomacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2018Why not a woman as Secretary-General?\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Building consensus behind the scenes<\/strong><\/h2>\n