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Carol Master along with Tim Stenovic live here at Bloomberg Headquarters in New York City. Well, the eightieth session of the You and General Assembly is underway here in the city, with the first day of the High Level General Debate happening next week. Former German Foreign Minister and Alina Beherbach was elected President of the General Assemblies eightieth session on
June second. Her appointment comes as the regional group that includes Western Europe takes its turn at the helm of the World Body, and we are delighted to have her here in studio. President Mahrbach, so nice to have you here with us. It's a shame there's nothing going on in the world to talk about. Let's talk about it, and I'm going to give you a little bit of
a list, very familiar, I'm sure to you. Russia's war with Ukraine now three and a half years old, a recent incident when Russian drones flew over Poland, Israel, and Hamas coming up on its second year anniversary, The Tech War, the trade War China Taiwan, question marks President Trump, saying you had a productive call with President g just today. Two largest economies in the world top of mind for you as worldwide leaders are gathering here at the UN this week.
It's a lot.
It's a lot, and it underlines why it needs this World Parliament, the United Nations more than ever. However, looking around the world, we are not only in shaky times, but this institution is under heavy pressure politically and financially,
and therefore we have to reform it. This is the biggest task for this upcoming year and as well, and this is what I would like to underline as President of this General Assembly and the United Nations that if we wouldn't have the United Nations, we would have to build it. Because none of these global challenges you just mentioned could one country face alone or even solve alone. And this is why the theme of this session is better together.
What is your priority in terms of reform. What is the number one reform that you intend to accomplish.
It has to be more efficient. A very big organization. It does incredible work. But all we are talking about is the failure of the Security Council because, as.
You mentioned, the war in Ukraine going on.
Because a permanent member of the Security Council can just put a veto so many are asking, so if you're not delivering on peace and security, why does it still matter? But their institutions like UNITSEV, everybody knows you have.
Millions of children wouldn't.
Go to school without the UN UNITSEF one twenty five million people would have literally starved last year if the World Food Program wouldn't have supported them. And imagine the COVID pandemic. Even the biggest countries like the US, a strong economy like my country Germany, we could have not fought this virus alone because COVID didn't have a passport.
So you can only do it together with.
The help of the World Health Organization and vaccination going on. But people don't know about these great successes. So make clear that this is all the UN and the money goes to the points where it actually delivers on the people. Is the biggest task and this is why it needs this reform. But it needs also the political commitment of leaders. It needs obviously the funding of member states, and currently especially the host country is questioning this.
What can you tell us about funding and where you are and how much it's difficult and what more could you use and what do you need?
Well, every country should pay their obligation, and the United States has been one of the biggest donors. I'm also always underlining this Germany has for a long time been the seconds biggest donors. But it's in the self interest of every country itself, because if we would not have these kinds of organizations, imagine also like terrorism, how would we fight it together. But at the moment there have been the announcement by the American administration that they might
stop everything. So we are in the depths of discussion peacekeeping. If we want to keep peacekeeping going on, then we need also the funding from the US side.
How do you look at the US right now as a partner if you indeed do look at the US as a partner right now well as.
A transatlantic not only friend, but like my country owes to the American people, not only that we could recover after the Second World War, the biggest horror my country did.
Around the world.
Actually also the reason why this United Nation was founded, and this is why Germany is still committed. But also lately reunification. Yeah, that East and Western Germany came together again and we are these countries are altogether in NATO. So it's the understanding of one for all and all for one, and this is why I think the transat
Landing bond has to be stronger than ever before. But obviously they are also at these kind of times different views on different topic and this is why the United Nations comes into play.
This is a place where you talk about also disagreements well, but.
On that and I want to kind of pursue the US role. I mean, what would you ask of the United States now, because you know there is certainly pushback, and we've got a president who at times has said We've done a lot as a nation. What more though, and how important is it for the US to continue to take a leaders leadership role. We've talked a lot about the importance of soft power to globally, but how important is it that the US take a leadership role here when it comes to the UN.
It's one of the biggest countries in the world. It has strong economic interest like many countries in the world. And we saw already not only was COVID when global trades stopped, we saw it also when the Huthis attacked ships in the Red Sea what it would mean for global trade.
We saw it.
One cargo ship was turned in the channel a couple of lot of years. So the effects also for one of the biggest economic powers like the US without a world of free trade and rules which are based on the UN Charter on every country having the same right would be horrible. I mean, it attaches employment, it at touches economic growth, and maybe one of the recent topics artificial intelligence. The whole competence lies in this country here in some other countries around the world, so the whole
setup for artificial intelligence. And there's a high interest also from the US administration. This will take place on Thursday, actually at this high level week you mentioned, when all the tech companies are coming together together with governments to say, okay, this is a new potential for the whole world, but it obviously also needs regulation, like if we look at deep fake and the dangers for the use.
How does the role of the United Nations change in a world where countries increasingly are looking inward, and I speak about the United States for example, in the America First mentality, in the America First agenda of this administration, how do you convey this administration that the UN is worth it.
Good diplomacy?
My point of view is not about convincing, and it's not like just speaking with the people who have the same opinion anyhow, then you can just speak to the mirror actually, but it's actually taking the people from there they are and try to understand why are they arguing that way? And if I've understood correctly, this administration, this president is very keen about bringing peace to the world. So I invited all heads of states to think about this moti betted together how can we bring peace to
this divided world. You need partners, and many partners are smaller countries. Soon you need majorities and coming together and ask themselves. So what could I do for the United Nations so the United Nations would deliver also for me, especially with regard to peace support the United Nations peace plans around the world. You can only do together if you're also engaging with smaller and other countries around the world.
And the President has announced that you will come on Tuesday, that he will speak on Tuesday, and I think this is really the place to be for world leaders at this United Nations.
We're talking with Anelina Bareback. She is an eightieth and General Assembly President Foreign German Foreign Minister joining us here in studio. You know, we know the division that exists geopolitically, We see it every day. You've been a very strong
voice on things like climate diplomacy, human rights. When we have such division, when it comes to trade wars and business wars and tech wars and just plan out wars, how do we move forward on things like climate and climate change, which I feel like it's safe to say we are all seeing it every day in terms of its impact, human rights violations, which I think now is becoming a discussion here once again in the United States,
terms of human rights or free speech. So I'm just curious, how do you tackle those and have smart discussions with world leaders about that against the broader backdrop that's troubled.
May be starting with the climate crisis.
Anyhow, I always say, ah, if you're not staying positive, you should not be in international politics.
Yeah, then you choose the wrong job.
But for the climate crisis, for example, I've been at the climate conference in Paris ten years ago, and this was after a failure or failure of climate conferences worldwide, and people said we should just stop. And then ten years ago the world agreed, well, obviously climate crisis is happening.
And it's really touching us.
But they didn't dare to say phase out of fossil fuels, they didn't dare to say renewable energy.
They just said we had a problem.
And now in twenty twenty five, actually last year, when the world came together at the Climate Conference, they said the future is renewable. Yeah, so it was only ten years time and was kind of a resolution.
Dislike that.
Say, I don't like renewable energy, but I mean the power goes where the money goes, and the big industry around the world, they have invested into renewable energy. If we want to get into the market around the world, like on the African continent where still millions are not being electrified, this is only possible through renewable energy. So I think there are so much investment having spent in the renewable sector that there's no drawback, not even if
by a political decision, because this would be all trended investments. Yeah, companies invested into these new trends. So in this regard, kind of the economy has taken away. Doesn't mean that we still have also other ways obviously to go. But if already the golf countries, I mean they're oil producing countries are saying we are standing on a second leg and this is renewable. Then obviously the world have changed in this regard, and I mean you've seen it here
in your own country. No money in the world can protect anybody against the climate effects. When in California, like the Witches, neighborhoods were burning.
Yeah, it didn't help that you have money.
You can only help together if you do climate protection measures and protection and development around the world.
So, worldly leaders, you are continuing to have the conversation. Companies are continuing to spend, and you're seeing a movement continuing to move forward when it comes to renewable energy.
These are two trends. But obviously this is our world of capitalism. Yeah, the logic goes where the money goes. And if you just see at the numbers of the last years, yeah, where the investment, the big investments went. There's a clear trend. And this is a clear trend. Is sorry, facing out of fossil not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, but in the next decades.
The President of the United States has made his disdain for renewables, specifically wind and solar, well known. He doesn't like windmills. He likes fossil fel and oil, and he likes also nuclear power, but we know there are challenges with nuclear power. In your view, is the US going to be left behind if we don't invest in renewables.
Well, my role is not to commenting on national politics. However, I've been to Texas actually as a foreign minister, obviously also very strong on fossils. But they showed me there, especially all the wind parks, and they showed me how you make amagnac carbon neutral.
Because this is the source for the future with global technology.
So I would say that also in these countries they are like parallel trends goinging on and which trends prevails. This is a decision of every national steal estate. But if you see the trend worldwide, if you see it in China, if you see it in Europe, but if you see it in Africa, where the population of the future is living, it's crystal clear where the future economy will go.
I just want to ask a big picture question. All went through this list of the challenging environment that we're in. Russia's war with Ukraine now three and a half years old, Israel Hinamas coming up on its second year anniversary, the challenges between China and Taiwan. You said you want to make the UN more efficient, But what would you say to a critic that says it hasn't been effective in the last few years.
You're right, not effective enough.
But I always turned the question around, would any country in the world be better off without the United Nation? Because the logic of those who argue, well, it didn't deliver on the good would be stop doing the right thing, but then evil would prevail. Would any truck of humanity and aid would enter gather if we say UN doesn't work anymore? What the war in Ukraine will stop? If we wouldn't have peace, no negotiations going on, not at all.
So we have to try harder.
This is our job, and we know from history that the most important thing is to keep up hope. And hope is not the conviction that everything will go right, but hope is a conviction that you do the right thing. And diplomis is about doing three hundred days or something been three thousand dates.
Yeah, if you look.
Back in history against Second World War, it lasted for years and years and years, and then afterwards we built the United Nations So it's about not giving up, trying even a harder, and always remember what.
Would you like to do your neighbor would do?
This is what I asked as a European when there was a full invasion of Russia in Ukraine. Imagine that this was only eight hours drive away from Berlin capital. Would I not want my neighbors helping me out.
When we would have been invaded?
Or? Having said that as a European, do Europeans you know, feel like the United States has abandoned it an important ally and group.
If you will, will you bring me in difficult situation?
I switched by my job. No no, and I'm speaking now for one hundred and ninety three.
Member states, but obviously I do have also a national identity. But I mean this is alto democracy. Yeah, government change and therefore policy change. But I'm a believer, as I said, not only an optimist, but a believer that deep inside. When everybody asked themselves, so what do I wish for my own children? What I do I wish for my family is like to have clean water and food, to live in peace and security, to go to school, and to wish that my friends are helping me out and
especially between Europe and the US. I mean this has been the deepest friendship over the last decades. So the motto we had all together, all for one and one for all. I think this is what held us really. Also the freedom in our different countries, and I believe that the majorities on both sides of the Atlantic sees it's still the same way.
Well, I have to say, well, the you and General Assembly creates gridlock in New York City and it gets a little crazy moving around. It always does give me a lot of hope and optimism. We get an opportunity to talk to leaders like yourself, global leaders who are seeing different perspectives, different views, and just talking about progress and things that are getting done around the world. So it always gives me some hope. So I'm so glad we got some time with you. Good luck this week.
Thank you, very imagin and all the this.
Take care a Alita Baerbach. She is the eightieth UN General Assembly President Foreign German Foreign Minister, joining us right here in studio