Agency Report –
The president of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, has ruled herself out as a candidate for secretary general of the United Nations – but believes it would be “wonderful” for a woman to hold the post for the first time.
The former German foreign minister told the Stern magazine in comments released on Tuesday that a female secretary general was “overdue after 80 years.”
“But it is out of the question that I would take over the office,” she said.
Baerbock said her job is to steer the selection process, “and that is difficult enough in this world situation.”
Incumbent António Guterres, the ninth man to hold the position, is due to step down at the end of next year after two terms in office.
After serving as Germany’s top diplomat from 2021 to 2025, Baerbock took up her one-year position as president of the General Assembly earlier this month.
Among her tasks is to oversee the General Debate, which starts on Tuesday with more than 140 global leaders due in New York.
The meeting is likely to be dominated by the war in Gaza.
Baerbock says it remains “completely open” whether she will return to Berlin after finishing her position at the UN.
“In Germany, it wasn’t always so easy, especially for the children, for their mother to be recognized everywhere,” Baerbock said.
“Here, I’m completely lost, I can go out without people checking every time to see if I’ve really stopped when the traffic lights suddenly turn red.”
