Baerbock Was Elected to the Post in June 2025 With an Overwhelming Majority and Began Her Term in Early September

Annalena Baerbock will take up a teaching position at Columbia University in New York after her term as president of the UN General Assembly ends, according to media reports. The Green politician is set to become a professor for Global Leadership and co-director of the Master of Public Administration in Global Leadership program in the fall, the German Press Agency and Table Media reported, citing informed circles. The multi-year position is described as a practice-oriented professorship rather than a classic research post.

The program targets leaders with at least ten years of professional experience, according to the university. Baerbock's one-year term as president of the UN General Assembly officially ends on September 8. Her successor will be Khalilur Rahman from Bangladesh. Baerbock has previously said she feels comfortable in New York and enjoys "disappearing" into the city's diversity, adding that it is "honestly sometimes very liberating" for her, as she told dpa shortly after taking office.

Baerbock was elected to the post in June 2025 with an overwhelming majority and began her term in early September. She is only the fifth woman to lead the General Assembly. Her tenure was marked by international crises and growing tensions in the multilateral system.

She advocated for reforming and strengthening the United Nations and championed women's rights, climate protection, and sustainable development. Other priorities included international approaches to artificial intelligence and finding a successor for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, repeatedly calling for a transparent and inclusive selection process and advocating for the first woman to lead the UN. After her UN role, Baerbock will apparently not return to Germany for the time being, as she moves to a New York university.