India, June 3 -- Former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has been elected as President of the General Assembly's 80th session. Her appointment comes as the regional group that includes Western Europe takes its turn at the helm of the UN body.
She assumes the role at a challenging time, with ongoing conflicts, faltering development goals, mounting financial pressures, and the upcoming selection of the next Secretary-General.
Baerbock received 167 votes in a secret ballot. Write-in candidate Helga Schmid, also from Germany, received seven. Fourteen delegations abstained from voting.
She becomes the first woman from the Western European group to hold the post and the fifth woman overall to lead the General Assembly. The presidency ...