“Who do runners trust?” she asked. “In normal times, there would be a simple answer: multilateral institutions like the United Nations.” But, he added, these “are not normal times.”
Baerbock said the world faces more conflict than at any time in recent history. Since the beginning of 2026, he said, divisions have deepened even further, leaving some Member States reluctant to act when circumstances demand principled conviction.
“Voices that were once outspoken in their support of the three pillars of United Nations Charter – peace and security, sustainable development and human rights – they are increasingly silent in the face of its erosion,” she said.
“The UN is not only under pressure but also openly attacked.”
Facts and truths that cannot be negotiated
Ms. Baerbock emphasized that trust cannot exist without truth and shared facts, foundations that she said are increasingly undermined by deliberate misinformation.
“Without facts, you can’t have the truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust,” he said, quoting Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa.
He warned that falsehoods are rarely accidental but are often used to “weaponize misinformation and disinformation,” while diplomatic silence in the face of obvious falsehoods only deepens distrust.
“We do not negotiate truths and facts,“Mrs. Baerbock said.”We use them to negotiate, to generate trust.”
He highlighted the risks posed by artificial intelligence, noting that while it offers enormous benefits, it is also used to blur the line between truth and lies. Deepfakes, he said, are “systematically attacking women,” citing figures that show the vast majority of such content is pornographic and directed at women.
United Nations Charter: ‘the world’s life insurance’
Ms. Baerbock also highlighted that trust is impossible without common rules, arguing that respect for international law is not naïve idealism but a matter of enlightened self-interest.
“Trust is based on rules,“he said, comparing the global system to sports or competitive markets where predictability and fairness are essential.”Why would you invest your money in a business if the rules of competition are totally unpredictable?”
Recalling the founding of the United Nations 80 years ago, he said leaders of the time chose cooperation after witnessing the catastrophic consequences of a lawless international order.
The United Nations Charter, he added, remains “the world’s common life insurance.”in the same way that a rules-based economic order underpins global business and investment.
A call for a broad alliance
The President of the General Assembly concluded by calling for a broad alliance (spanning governments, companies and regions) to defend the international order and uphold shared principles, even when it is politically or economically costly.
“Trust is maintained by those who uphold common rules and principles, even when it is difficult,” he said. “For those who act when action is required… and for those who tell the truth, when silence or distortion would be easier.”
The challenge now, Ms. Baerbock emphasized, is whether today’s leaders can act with the same courage and conviction as those who built the postwar international system.
“The founders of the United Nations understood that, as they had seen what the alternative would mean, in a world where might makes right, there can only be one result: chaos and war.“