Remarks by the President of the General Assembly?
H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock
at the United Nations Correspondents Association Awards Gala
Friday 12 December 2025
Delegates Lounge, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHQs?
[As Prepared for Delivery]
¡°If I die, I want a loud death. I don¡¯t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group. I want a death the world will hear¡ªan impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place.¡±
These were the words of Fatima Hassouna, a twenty-five-year-old photo-journalist from Gaza.
Her wishes were tragically fulfilled.
Fatima was killed, along with several members of her family, in an Israeli airstrike in April¡ªjust one day after it was announced that a documentary on her work had been selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
In the articles written about her, and in the documentary released shortly after her death, the world witnessed what was lost: a young life full of promise, cut short.
Fatima was one of nearly 70 journalists killed this past year¡ªkilled while doing the noblest of work:
shining light on truths, stories, and struggles that would otherwise remain unseen;
giving voice to the voiceless;
fulfilling a role many of us could not.
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Colleagues and friends,
It is my pleasure to join this 29th Annual Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Correspondents Association Awards ¨C recognizing excellence in covering the United Nations ¨C especially in these times of crisis.
Today, more than ever, we need your work. And so tonight I will speak less about the crisis in Sudan, Ukraine or Gaza, at least not directly.
I am here to talk about you.
About the women and men who dedicate their careers to the transparency of diplomacy.
Who report on mundane resolutions and active war zones with equal professionalism.
Who illuminate the human dimensions of complex policy documents.
Who hold this institution accountable¡ªhighlighting our successes and forcing us to confront our failures.
Without your dedication, how would the world know, when we are not living up to our promise?
Or when, con-vers-ely, quiet progress is being made?
How would people know of the life-saving work of the World Food Programme?
Of the millions of children reached by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF?
Of the Sudanese refugees being sheltered and fed?
As some of you might have noticed I¡¯m a big fan of being frank and open ¨C so I would like to strongly encourage you to continue covering these positive stories even more.
Not to please us, but because, in a social media world where hate gets six times more clicks than good news, the world desperately needs stories of hope.
And good news to remember that our real world is definitely not as bad, full of hate, or polarized as social media would have us believe. A belief perpetuated no by coincidence but, increasingly, deliberate. To silence.
As Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal said, ¡°For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.¡±
This year, your work takes on an additional dimension, as we reshape the United Nations.
Reform is shaped by public perception. And public perception is shaped by you.
Constructive criticism is not something to fear; it is indispensable.
After eight decades, this institution needs a deep reform. And in a world where fake news is weaponized by those who would seek to undermine, it is people like you who help to tell the real story.
You help us remind the world that in no way would it be better off without the United Nations, as imperfect as it will always be.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As we gather tonight to celebrate the long relationship between the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCA, we also honour extra-ordinary individuals in journalism.
I was told in no uncertain terms not to let slip and reveal the winners ¨C so I must speak only in the abstract.
But…I can safely say, I applaud you, the women and men who found a way to speak up when so many stayed silent.
Who deciphered very wordy resolutions to find the real meaning.
Who highlighted the impact of budget cuts on the ground-level work of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡ on farmers in the Sahel, on women in Afghanistan, on children in Haiti.
And who, for our honorees, used art and movies, food and cuisine ¨C to say what others dared not.
To all the distinguished awardees we celebrate tonight, we thank you and applaud you.
Thank you for your commitment, your perseverance.
Thank you for bringing stories of hope and hardship, of failure and progress, into the public eye.
Thank you for ensuring this organization does not turn inward or lose its way.
For always reminding us that the world is indeed better with these United Nations.
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Before closing, allow me to extend my appreciation to Ms. Valeria Robecco and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Correspondents Association for inviting me this evening.
It is personally meaningful to be here.
You see, when I was younger, I dreamt of becoming a war correspondent; it is even why I studied international law.
Life, of course, had other plans, and to be honest I did not make it beyond my local newspaper.
But the idea of this profession¡ªwhat it represents¡ªstill resonates deeply.
As President of the General Assembly, I feel, every day in these shaky geopolitical times, what it means ¨C what it takes ¨C to speak up for our common principles when it would be more convenient to stay quiet.
So, for tonight, let¡¯s recognize and celebrate this spirit.
The spirit of the awardees,
the spirit of Fatima Hassouna.
To be ¡®loud.
Loud in our critiques.
Loud in defending humanity.
Loud in speaking the truth.
United Nations
New York,?US