H.E. Annalena Baerbock – AI For Good Global Leaders Spotlight

The Diplomat Bringing AI to the Heart of Global Governance

Artificial intelligence is no longer simply a technological revolution. It has become a defining test of international cooperation. As President of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Annalena Baerbock is helping ensure that AI is addressed at the highest level. The task belongs not only to engineers and technology companies, but to the world’s foremost multilateral body. There, every nation has a voice in shaping humanity’s shared future.

Annalena Baerbock is a former Foreign Minister of Germany and a longtime advocate for multilateralism, human rights, and sustainable development. She now presides over one of the most consequential periods in the United Nations’ history. AI is rapidly transforming economies, societies, security, and governance. Her leadership is helping position the UN General Assembly as the central global forum for building consensus on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence.

Her participation in the AI for Good Global Summit 2026 comes at a historic moment. The Summit follows immediately after the inaugural UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The Assembly established that Dialogue to create the first universal platform of its kind. There, all 193 Member States can deliberate on the future of AI alongside scientists, industry leaders, and civil society.

From Diplomacy to Global Leadership

Before assuming the presidency of the General Assembly, Baerbock spent years navigating some of the world’s most complex geopolitical challenges.

She served as Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2025. In that role, she championed international cooperation on security, climate policy, democracy, and human rights. It was a period marked by war, geopolitical fragmentation, and accelerating technological change.

Earlier, she served in the German Bundestag and co-chaired Germany’s Green Party. In doing so, she built a reputation as one of Europe’s leading voices on international affairs.

That diplomatic experience now informs her leadership of the General Assembly. Nations are confronting another defining challenge: governing technologies that evolve faster than traditional institutions.

Making AI a Truly Global Conversation

Artificial intelligence has often been shaped by a relatively small number of countries and companies.

Baerbock has emphasized that decisions with such profound global consequences cannot be made in isolation. They must be discussed in institutions that represent the entire international community.

Under her presidency, the United Nations is advancing a new architecture for AI governance. It builds on the Global Digital Compact and the Pact for the Future. For the first time at a global scale, it brings scientific evidence, multilateral diplomacy, and inclusive dialogue together.

The creation of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance marks an important milestone. These mechanisms are not designed to compete with existing institutions. Instead, they help governments develop shared understanding and strengthen international cooperation. They also ensure that AI governance reflects the perspectives of all regions, not only those leading AI development.

Better Together in the AI Era

Baerbock chose “Better Together” as the guiding theme of the 80th Session of the General Assembly.

The message is especially relevant to artificial intelligence.

No country alone can fully manage AI’s opportunities or its risks. Questions of safety, cybersecurity, misinformation, employment, human rights, scientific research, and sustainable development increasingly transcend national borders.

Renewing Multilateralism for a Digital Century

Throughout her presidency, Baerbock has argued that the United Nations must evolve to meet twenty-first century challenges.

Artificial intelligence represents one of the clearest tests of that vision.

The institutions created after the Second World War were designed to preserve peace in an era defined by territorial conflict. Today’s international system must also respond to rapidly advancing digital technologies. Their impacts extend across every aspect of society.

By elevating AI within the General Assembly’s agenda, Baerbock is helping ensure that multilateralism remains relevant. The world is increasingly shaped by technological transformation.

Why Her Leadership Matters

Artificial intelligence is redefining power, prosperity, and security.

How the international community governs that transformation may prove just as consequential as the technology itself.

As President of the United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock occupies a uniquely important position. She serves not as the representative of a single nation, but as the presiding officer of the world’s most inclusive multilateral institution.

At the AI for Good Global Summit, her leadership reflects a growing recognition. The future of artificial intelligence cannot be determined by technology alone. It must also be shaped through diplomacy, international law, scientific evidence, and cooperation among all nations.

The world is increasingly fragmented. Baerbock’s message is both timely and enduring. When confronting challenges that affect all of humanity, we are, indeed, better together.