How Germany’s former Foreign minister failed Gaza

United Nations member states on Monday confirmed the nomination of Germany’s former foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, as the next president of the General Assembly, As leader of its 80th session, Baerbock will oversee the work of the UN organ, which serves as a forum for all 193 member states to coordinate on international issues…

Her nomination was controversial from the outset, as she was accused of snatching the job away from seasoned German diplomat Helga Schmid, who played a key role in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Germany had initially nominated Schmid for the job, but later replaced her with Baerbock, who lost her cabinet position after the February election.

In her acceptance speech on Monday, Baerbock affirmed her respect for international humanitarian law and her commitment to safeguard “a world in which every human can live in peace and dignity”, A look at her performance as foreign minister, however, does not reveal a track record of upholding human rights, but rather an utter failure on this front, amid German state complicity in the Gaza genocide.

Baerbock assumed office in 2021 with a self-proclaimed “feminist foreign policy” as her guiding principle, vowing that her efforts as foreign minister would focus on the “rights, representation and resources” of women and marginalised groups. Protecting women in armed conflict was among her 10 key guidelines.