In a powerful speech at the United Nations General Assembly on February 24, 2024, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock addressed the global community, emphasizing the indivisibility of humanity and the importance of not forgetting those suffering around the world.
Baerbock began her speech by recounting a conversation with a woman in Gorom, South Sudan, who expressed fear that the world would forget about them due to the focus on Russia’s war and violence in the Middle East. The woman had fled violence in Sudan, carrying only a small bag of belongings and her child. “Her words have not left me since,” Baerbock said, acknowledging that they ring true for countless individuals worldwide who suffer violence and hunger.
“We have not forgotten about you,” Baerbock declared, addressing those suffering globally. She emphasized that every life matters in equal measure and that humanity is indivisible. She warned against playing off one person’s pain against another’s, stating that it would only serve those who seek to divide us and push their ruthless agenda in the world.
Baerbock criticized Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s cynical question at the G20 meeting in Rio about why the world is so preoccupied with Russia’s war against Ukraine. “Mr. Lavrov, we are preoccupied with your war because your war is causing death, pain, and destruction,” she retorted. She highlighted Russia’s bombing of ports in Ukraine to prevent Ukrainian grain from being exported to the world, using food as a weapon.
Baerbock called on everyone to stand up against Russia’s war if we care about a world in which every life matters in equal measure. She reminded that the United Nations was founded for that exact purpose – to ensure that “a life is a life” and that humanity is indivisible.
She criticized President Putin for proving again and again that, to him, human lives count for nothing – neither abroad nor at home. She mentioned Putin’s recent actions of arresting Russian children for laying down flowers to mourn the death of Alexei Navalny.
Baerbock reassured that the world’s preoccupation with Russia’s war of aggression does not mean that we don’t see the suffering in Sudan or the Middle East. She expressed concern about the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for a humanitarian pause to work towards a sustainable ceasefire and a path towards a life in dignity, peace, and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
In conclusion, Baerbock emphasized the importance of standing up to polarization and protecting our societies from the poison of dehumanization. “We stand with Ukraine, as long as it takes. Because we stand against a world of ruthlessness. We stand for a world in which a life is a life – whether it be Palestinian, Israeli, Sudanese, or Ukrainian,” she declared.
