Saadet Gökce
28 April 2026•Update: 28 April 2026
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday called for a cross-regional alliance to support the UN amid escalating global crises, including the US-Israeli war on Iran and the conflict in Gaza.
"My key priority is to defend the charter and the international rule of law," she told a news conference in the Indian capital, New Delhi, urging a cross-regional alliance to support multilateralism as well as the world body.
Baerbock is visiting the South Asian nation, from where she will travel to China for a two-day visit, beginning Wednesday.
She said every effort for a ceasefire is "highly needed" not only because blockages and attacks in the Strait of Hormuz are affecting countries worldwide, driving up oil and fertilizer prices, but also because it "overshadows the devastating situation for the people in Gaza."
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is still heartbreaking," said Baerbock, former foreign minister of Germany.
In Lebanon, 1.3 million people have been displaced, Baerbock said, while also commenting on attacks on peacekeepers in the country.
Six UNIFIL personnel have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an assault on the country.
Baerbock "strongly" condemned any attacks on the UN peacekeepers.
"It's a commitment by all member states of the UN to ensure the safety of peacekeepers especially as people from all around the world commit their work, their life for the peace of other countries and therefore their security is of highest importance," she added.
Finding a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement of this conflict is the UN's "utmost responsibility," she said.
Baerbock also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday.
The two discussed the UN 80 initiative, the Sustainable Development Goals, AI implications and the Middle East conflict
They "underscored the need for reformed multilateralism reflective of today’s realities, particularly of the Global South," according to Jaishankar on the US social media company X.
