Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2: Carol Master along with Tim Stenovic live here at Bloomberg
Speaker 2: Headquarters in New York City. Well, the eightieth session of
Speaker 2: the You and General Assembly is underway here in the city,
Speaker 2: with the first day of the High Level General Debate
Speaker 2: happening next week. Former German Foreign Minister and Alina Beherbach
Speaker 2: was elected President of the General Assemblies eightieth session on
Speaker 2: June second. Her appointment comes as the regional group that
Speaker 2: includes Western Europe takes its turn at the helm of
Speaker 2: the World Body, and we are delighted to have her
Speaker 2: here in studio. President Mahrbach, so nice to have you
Speaker 2: here with us. It's a shame there's nothing going on
Speaker 2: in the world to talk about. Let's talk about it,
Speaker 2: and I'm going to give you a little bit of
Speaker 2: a list, very familiar, I'm sure to you. Russia's war
Speaker 2: with Ukraine now three and a half years old, a
Speaker 2: recent incident when Russian drones flew over Poland, Israel, and
Speaker 2: Hamas coming up on its second year anniversary, The Tech War,
Speaker 2: the trade War China Taiwan, question marks President Trump, saying
Speaker 2: you had a productive call with President g just today.
Speaker 2: Two largest economies in the world top of mind for
Speaker 2: you as worldwide leaders are gathering here at the UN
Speaker 2: this week.
Speaker 3: It's a lot.
Speaker 4: It's a lot, and it underlines why it needs this
Speaker 4: World Parliament, the United Nations more than ever. However, looking
Speaker 4: around the world, we are not only in shaky times,
Speaker 4: but this institution is under heavy pressure politically and financially,
Speaker 4: and therefore we have to reform it. This is the
Speaker 4: biggest task for this upcoming year and as well, and
Speaker 4: this is what I would like to underline as President
Speaker 4: of this General Assembly and the United Nations that if
Speaker 4: we wouldn't have the United Nations, we would have to
Speaker 4: build it. Because none of these global challenges you just
Speaker 4: mentioned could one country face alone or even solve alone.
Speaker 4: And this is why the theme of this session is
Speaker 4: better together.
Speaker 1: What is your priority in terms of reform. What is
Speaker 1: the number one reform that you intend to accomplish.
Speaker 4: It has to be more efficient. A very big organization.
Speaker 4: It does incredible work. But all we are talking about
Speaker 4: is the failure of the Security Council because, as.
Speaker 3: You mentioned, the war in Ukraine going on.
Speaker 4: Because a permanent member of the Security Council can just
Speaker 4: put a veto so many are asking, so if you're
Speaker 4: not delivering on peace and security, why does it still matter?
Speaker 4: But their institutions like UNITSEV, everybody knows you have.
Speaker 3: Millions of children wouldn't.
Speaker 4: Go to school without the UN UNITSEF one twenty five
Speaker 4: million people would have literally starved last year if the
Speaker 4: World Food Program wouldn't have supported them. And imagine the
Speaker 4: COVID pandemic. Even the biggest countries like the US, a
Speaker 4: strong economy like my country Germany, we could have not
Speaker 4: fought this virus alone because COVID didn't have a passport.
Speaker 3: So you can only do it together with.
Speaker 4: The help of the World Health Organization and vaccination going on.
Speaker 4: But people don't know about these great successes. So make
Speaker 4: clear that this is all the UN and the money
Speaker 4: goes to the points where it actually delivers on the people.
Speaker 4: Is the biggest task and this is why it needs
Speaker 4: this reform. But it needs also the political commitment of leaders.
Speaker 4: It needs obviously the funding of member states, and currently
Speaker 4: especially the host country is questioning this.
Speaker 2: What can you tell us about funding and where you
Speaker 2: are and how much it's difficult and what more could
Speaker 2: you use and what do you need?
Speaker 4: Well, every country should pay their obligation, and the United
Speaker 4: States has been one of the biggest donors. I'm also
Speaker 4: always underlining this Germany has for a long time been
Speaker 4: the seconds biggest donors. But it's in the self interest
Speaker 4: of every country itself, because if we would not have
Speaker 4: these kinds of organizations, imagine also like terrorism, how would
Speaker 4: we fight it together. But at the moment there have
Speaker 4: been the announcement by the American administration that they might
Speaker 4: stop everything. So we are in the depths of discussion peacekeeping.
Speaker 4: If we want to keep peacekeeping going on, then we
Speaker 4: need also the funding from the US side.
Speaker 1: How do you look at the US right now as
Speaker 1: a partner if you indeed do look at the US
Speaker 1: as a partner right now well as.
Speaker 4: A transatlantic not only friend, but like my country owes
Speaker 4: to the American people, not only that we could recover
Speaker 4: after the Second World War, the biggest horror my country did.
Speaker 3: Around the world.
Speaker 4: Actually also the reason why this United Nation was founded,
Speaker 4: and this is why Germany is still committed. But also
Speaker 4: lately reunification. Yeah, that East and Western Germany came together
Speaker 4: again and we are these countries are altogether in NATO.
Speaker 4: So it's the understanding of one for all and all
Speaker 4: for one, and this is why I think the transat
Speaker 4: Landing bond has to be stronger than ever before. But
Speaker 4: obviously they are also at these kind of times different
Speaker 4: views on different topic and this is why the United
Speaker 4: Nations comes into play.
Speaker 3: This is a place where you talk about also disagreements well, but.
Speaker 2: On that and I want to kind of pursue the
Speaker 2: US role. I mean, what would you ask of the
Speaker 2: United States now, because you know there is certainly pushback,
Speaker 2: and we've got a president who at times has said
Speaker 2: We've done a lot as a nation. What more though,
Speaker 2: and how important is it for the US to continue
Speaker 2: to take a leaders leadership role. We've talked a lot
Speaker 2: about the importance of soft power to globally, but how
Speaker 2: important is it that the US take a leadership role
Speaker 2: here when it comes to the UN.
Speaker 4: It's one of the biggest countries in the world. It
Speaker 4: has strong economic interest like many countries in the world.
Speaker 4: And we saw already not only was COVID when global
Speaker 4: trades stopped, we saw it also when the Huthis attacked
Speaker 4: ships in the Red Sea what it would mean for
Speaker 4: global trade.
Speaker 3: We saw it.
Speaker 4: One cargo ship was turned in the channel a couple
Speaker 4: of lot of years. So the effects also for one
Speaker 4: of the biggest economic powers like the US without a
Speaker 4: world of free trade and rules which are based on
Speaker 4: the UN Charter on every country having the same right
Speaker 4: would be horrible. I mean, it attaches employment, it at
Speaker 4: touches economic growth, and maybe one of the recent topics
Speaker 4: artificial intelligence. The whole competence lies in this country here
Speaker 4: in some other countries around the world, so the whole
Speaker 4: setup for artificial intelligence. And there's a high interest also
Speaker 4: from the US administration. This will take place on Thursday,
Speaker 4: actually at this high level week you mentioned, when all
Speaker 4: the tech companies are coming together together with governments to say, okay,
Speaker 4: this is a new potential for the whole world, but
Speaker 4: it obviously also needs regulation, like if we look at
Speaker 4: deep fake and the dangers for the use.
Speaker 1: How does the role of the United Nations change in
Speaker 1: a world where countries increasingly are looking inward, and I
Speaker 1: speak about the United States for example, in the America
Speaker 1: First mentality, in the America First agenda of this administration,
Speaker 1: how do you convey this administration that the UN is
Speaker 1: worth it.
Speaker 3: Good diplomacy?
Speaker 4: My point of view is not about convincing, and it's
Speaker 4: not like just speaking with the people who have the
Speaker 4: same opinion anyhow, then you can just speak to the
Speaker 4: mirror actually, but it's actually taking the people from there
Speaker 4: they are and try to understand why are they arguing
Speaker 4: that way? And if I've understood correctly, this administration, this
Speaker 4: president is very keen about bringing peace to the world.
Speaker 4: So I invited all heads of states to think about
Speaker 4: this moti betted together how can we bring peace to
Speaker 4: this divided world. You need partners, and many partners are
Speaker 4: smaller countries. Soon you need majorities and coming together and
Speaker 4: ask themselves. So what could I do for the United
Speaker 4: Nations so the United Nations would deliver also for me,
Speaker 4: especially with regard to peace support the United Nations peace
Speaker 4: plans around the world. You can only do together if
Speaker 4: you're also engaging with smaller and other countries around the world.
Speaker 4: And the President has announced that you will come on Tuesday,
Speaker 4: that he will speak on Tuesday, and I think this
Speaker 4: is really the place to be for world leaders at
Speaker 4: this United Nations.
Speaker 2: We're talking with Anelina Bareback. She is an eightieth and
Speaker 2: General Assembly President Foreign German Foreign Minister joining us here
Speaker 2: in studio. You know, we know the division that exists geopolitically,
Speaker 2: We see it every day. You've been a very strong
Speaker 2: voice on things like climate diplomacy, human rights. When we
Speaker 2: have such division, when it comes to trade wars and
Speaker 2: business wars and tech wars and just plan out wars,
Speaker 2: how do we move forward on things like climate and
Speaker 2: climate change, which I feel like it's safe to say
Speaker 2: we are all seeing it every day in terms of
Speaker 2: its impact, human rights violations, which I think now is
Speaker 2: becoming a discussion here once again in the United States,
Speaker 2: terms of human rights or free speech. So I'm just curious,
Speaker 2: how do you tackle those and have smart discussions with
Speaker 2: world leaders about that against the broader backdrop that's troubled.
Speaker 3: May be starting with the climate crisis.
Speaker 4: Anyhow, I always say, ah, if you're not staying positive,
Speaker 4: you should not be in international politics.
Speaker 3: Yeah, then you choose the wrong job.
Speaker 4: But for the climate crisis, for example, I've been at
Speaker 4: the climate conference in Paris ten years ago, and this
Speaker 4: was after a failure or failure of climate conferences worldwide,
Speaker 4: and people said we should just stop. And then ten
Speaker 4: years ago the world agreed, well, obviously climate crisis is happening.
Speaker 3: And it's really touching us.
Speaker 4: But they didn't dare to say phase out of fossil fuels,
Speaker 4: they didn't dare to say renewable energy.
Speaker 3: They just said we had a problem.
Speaker 4: And now in twenty twenty five, actually last year, when
Speaker 4: the world came together at the Climate Conference, they said
Speaker 4: the future is renewable. Yeah, so it was only ten
Speaker 4: years time and was kind of a resolution.
Speaker 3: Dislike that.
Speaker 4: Say, I don't like renewable energy, but I mean the
Speaker 4: power goes where the money goes, and the big industry
Speaker 4: around the world, they have invested into renewable energy. If
Speaker 4: we want to get into the market around the world,
Speaker 4: like on the African continent where still millions are not
Speaker 4: being electrified, this is only possible through renewable energy. So
Speaker 4: I think there are so much investment having spent in
Speaker 4: the renewable sector that there's no drawback, not even if
Speaker 4: by a political decision, because this would be all trended investments. Yeah,
Speaker 4: companies invested into these new trends. So in this regard,
Speaker 4: kind of the economy has taken away. Doesn't mean that
Speaker 4: we still have also other ways obviously to go. But
Speaker 4: if already the golf countries, I mean they're oil producing
Speaker 4: countries are saying we are standing on a second leg
Speaker 4: and this is renewable. Then obviously the world have changed
Speaker 4: in this regard, and I mean you've seen it here
Speaker 4: in your own country. No money in the world can
Speaker 4: protect anybody against the climate effects. When in California, like
Speaker 4: the Witches, neighborhoods were burning.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it didn't help that you have money.
Speaker 4: You can only help together if you do climate protection
Speaker 4: measures and protection and development around the world.
Speaker 2: So, worldly leaders, you are continuing to have the conversation.
Speaker 2: Companies are continuing to spend, and you're seeing a movement
Speaker 2: continuing to move forward when it comes to renewable energy.
Speaker 4: These are two trends. But obviously this is our world
Speaker 4: of capitalism. Yeah, the logic goes where the money goes.
Speaker 4: And if you just see at the numbers of the
Speaker 4: last years, yeah, where the investment, the big investments went.
Speaker 4: There's a clear trend. And this is a clear trend.
Speaker 4: Is sorry, facing out of fossil not tomorrow, not the
Speaker 4: day after tomorrow, but in the next decades.
Speaker 1: The President of the United States has made his disdain
Speaker 1: for renewables, specifically wind and solar, well known. He doesn't
Speaker 1: like windmills. He likes fossil fel and oil, and he
Speaker 1: likes also nuclear power, but we know there are challenges
Speaker 1: with nuclear power. In your view, is the US going
Speaker 1: to be left behind if we don't invest in renewables.
Speaker 4: Well, my role is not to commenting on national politics. However,
Speaker 4: I've been to Texas actually as a foreign minister, obviously
Speaker 4: also very strong on fossils. But they showed me there,
Speaker 4: especially all the wind parks, and they showed me how
Speaker 4: you make amagnac carbon neutral.
Speaker 3: Because this is the source for the future with global technology.
Speaker 4: So I would say that also in these countries they
Speaker 4: are like parallel trends goinging on and which trends prevails.
Speaker 4: This is a decision of every national steal estate. But
Speaker 4: if you see the trend worldwide, if you see it
Speaker 4: in China, if you see it in Europe, but if
Speaker 4: you see it in Africa, where the population of the
Speaker 4: future is living, it's crystal clear where the future economy
Speaker 4: will go.
Speaker 1: I just want to ask a big picture question. All
Speaker 1: went through this list of the challenging environment that we're in.
Speaker 1: Russia's war with Ukraine now three and a half years old,
Speaker 1: Israel Hinamas coming up on its second year anniversary, the
Speaker 1: challenges between China and Taiwan. You said you want to
Speaker 1: make the UN more efficient, But what would you say
Speaker 1: to a critic that says it hasn't been effective in
Speaker 1: the last few years.
Speaker 3: You're right, not effective enough.
Speaker 4: But I always turned the question around, would any country
Speaker 4: in the world be better off without the United Nation?
Speaker 4: Because the logic of those who argue, well, it didn't
Speaker 4: deliver on the good would be stop doing the right thing,
Speaker 4: but then evil would prevail. Would any truck of humanity
Speaker 4: and aid would enter gather if we say UN doesn't
Speaker 4: work anymore? What the war in Ukraine will stop? If
Speaker 4: we wouldn't have peace, no negotiations going on, not at all.
Speaker 3: So we have to try harder.
Speaker 4: This is our job, and we know from history that
Speaker 4: the most important thing is to keep up hope. And
Speaker 4: hope is not the conviction that everything will go right,
Speaker 4: but hope is a conviction that you do the right thing.
Speaker 4: And diplomis is about doing three hundred days or something
Speaker 4: been three thousand dates.
Speaker 3: Yeah, if you look.
Speaker 4: Back in history against Second World War, it lasted for
Speaker 4: years and years and years, and then afterwards we built
Speaker 4: the United Nations So it's about not giving up, trying
Speaker 4: even a harder, and always remember what.
Speaker 3: Would you like to do your neighbor would do?
Speaker 4: This is what I asked as a European when there
Speaker 4: was a full invasion of Russia in Ukraine. Imagine that
Speaker 4: this was only eight hours drive away from Berlin capital.
Speaker 4: Would I not want my neighbors helping me out.
Speaker 3: When we would have been invaded?
Speaker 2: Or? Having said that as a European, do Europeans you know,
Speaker 2: feel like the United States has abandoned it an important
Speaker 2: ally and group.
Speaker 4: If you will, will you bring me in difficult situation?
Speaker 3: I switched by my job. No no, and I'm speaking
Speaker 3: now for one hundred and ninety three.
Speaker 4: Member states, but obviously I do have also a national identity.
Speaker 4: But I mean this is alto democracy. Yeah, government change
Speaker 4: and therefore policy change. But I'm a believer, as I said,
Speaker 4: not only an optimist, but a believer that deep inside.
Speaker 4: When everybody asked themselves, so what do I wish for
Speaker 4: my own children? What I do I wish for my
Speaker 4: family is like to have clean water and food, to
Speaker 4: live in peace and security, to go to school, and
Speaker 4: to wish that my friends are helping me out and
Speaker 4: especially between Europe and the US. I mean this has
Speaker 4: been the deepest friendship over the last decades. So the
Speaker 4: motto we had all together, all for one and one
Speaker 4: for all. I think this is what held us really.
Speaker 4: Also the freedom in our different countries, and I believe
Speaker 4: that the majorities on both sides of the Atlantic sees
Speaker 4: it's still the same way.
Speaker 2: Well, I have to say, well, the you and General
Speaker 2: Assembly creates gridlock in New York City and it gets
Speaker 2: a little crazy moving around. It always does give me
Speaker 2: a lot of hope and optimism. We get an opportunity
Speaker 2: to talk to leaders like yourself, global leaders who are
Speaker 2: seeing different perspectives, different views, and just talking about progress
Speaker 2: and things that are getting done around the world. So
Speaker 2: it always gives me some hope. So I'm so glad
Speaker 2: we got some time with you. Good luck this week.
Speaker 3: Thank you, very imagin and all the this.
Speaker 2: Take care a Alita Baerbach. She is the eightieth UN
Speaker 2: General Assembly President Foreign German Foreign Minister, joining us right
Speaker 2: here in studio