UN General Assembly
2013

Exactly 40 years ago, the two German States joined the United Nations. For Germans, that marked our full return to the community of nations. Germany supports the United Nations as the beating heart of a global order rooted in cooperation, peaceful compromise and cooperative solutions. The world has changed dramatically since then. New centres of economic and political power are emerging. In recent years, Germany has established new strategic partnerships with the new global players in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The setting of our meeting today is different from the usual one. The United Nations is undergoing renovation, which must not be restricted merely to the buildings. The United Nations must reflect the world as it is, not as it used to be. Only then will it be fit for the challenges of our age. A Security Council without permanent seats for Africa and Latin America does not reflect the realities of today’s world. A Council in which the emerging and highly populous region of Asia is represented by only one permanent seat does not