UN General Assembly president Annalena Baerbock has closed the high-level week of the 80th session of the general debate on Monday.

Ms Baerbock urged nations to convert the week’s momentum into concrete action on peace, climate change, and institutional reform.

She said the United Nations remains “the house of diplomacy and dialogue” in a divided world.

Over six days, starting on Tuesday, September 23 to 29, 189 Member States spoke, including 124 heads of state and government,

UN secretary-general António Guterres also held bilateral meetings with about 150 world leaders, according to his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq.

This, Ms Baerbock said, proved that the general assembly of the United Nations remains “the house of diplomacy and dialogue” in a divided world.

She underscored both the gravity of today’s global challenges and the possibilities of collective action.

“If this high-level week is an indication, this house is fulfilling that purpose; the United Nations is still relevant. The test is whether we act,” Ms Baerbock told the assembly.

Protracted conflicts dominated the debate, prompting repeated calls for urgent steps to protect civilians and stem violence.

Ms Baerbock stressed the Charter’s centrality to resolving disputes peacefully and warned of the cost when it is ignored.

“When bombs fall on civilians, when famine is used as a weapon, when sovereignty is trampled by force, it is the credibility of this Organization that is at stake,” she said.

Delegations also sounded an alarm on climate change and the ticking deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Dozens of delegations spoke on the impacts of climate change and the ticking clock we face in delivering on the SDGs by 2030,” she said. “That clock does not stop while we are here in this room. It’s happening now. The climate crisis won’t stop if you deny it.”

Institutional reform was also a recurring theme as Ms Baerbock pointed to the Secretary-General’s proposals as a concrete pathway to strengthen the UN’s ability to deliver.

She said the secretary-general’s report on implementing new mandates, his revised budget, and other reform proposals “offer us a concrete pathway to make this institution better, stronger, more effective, fit for purpose”.

Ms Baerbock said, “This is not only about trimming budgets; it is about strengthening delivery. It is about priorities.”

(NAN)