Summit Of The Future Seeks To Ensure Multilateralism Is Not A Relic Of

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 10:38 AM

summit of the future seeks to ensure multilateralism is not a relic of

Current decisions must be made with the participation of youth and women to account for the long-term impact on future generations, speakers emphasized during an interactive dialogue at the Summit of the Future today. Opening the afternoon session, titled: “The Future Starts Now: enhancing the global system for current and future generations”, the Prime Minister of Jamaica observed that the global landscape has fundamentally changed since 1945, also... “Let this moment be one of reflection, but more importantly — one of action,” he stressed, urging States to ensure that multilateralism is not “just a relic of the past but a dynamic force”. For his part, the Prime Minister of Saint Maarten said that today’s challenges “call for a fundamental re-evaluation of our societal fabric”, as he called for decoupling economic development from environmental degradation, promoting gender... Recognizing that future generations cannot represent themselves and “it’s up to us to do that for them”, he added: “Thinking and acting for future generations requires a shift in mindset, but also a shift... Engaging youth in tackling current global challenges for future generations is a key focus of the Pact for the Future, an intergovernmentally negotiated, action-oriented outcome adopted at the Summit of the Future yesterday.

The Pact includes the Declaration on Future Generations, outlining commitments to build a sustainable and peaceful world for the more than 10 billion people projected to be born before the end of this century... “We need institutions […] that are not afraid of working hand in hand with young people,” said Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs. Noting that the Pact also includes a dedicated Chapter on youth, he urged States to engage young people as full-fledged partners. This can be achieved by transforming social and cultural beliefs that young people are inexperienced or unable to take decisions, providing adequate funding for youth and supporting their participation in decision- and policymaking. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that meaningful youth engagement becomes the norm, rather than the exception,” he said. The Summit of the Future, held on September 22-23, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, marked a pivotal moment in global governance, with world leaders adopting the Pact for the Future,...

The Pact includes two critical annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, both of which aim to recalibrate international efforts to meet the evolving demands of the 21st century. The Global Digital Compact is one of the most ambitious aspects of the Pact. As digital technologies increasingly shape global economic and social landscapes, ensuring equitable access and governance of digital resources has become paramount. The Compact recognizes the importance of bridging the digital divide, especially between developed and developing nations. It outlines commitments to improve access to digital infrastructure, promote digital literacy, and support the development of innovation ecosystems in underserved regions. One of the most significant outcomes of the Global Digital Compact is the establishment of an Annual Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance under the auspices of the United Nations.

This dialogue aims to ensure that AI technologies are developed and deployed ethically and inclusively. Furthermore, the Compact initiates a process toward international data governance, acknowledging the critical need for frameworks that protect privacy and prevent data misuse on a global scale. Private sector involvement is also a key component of the Global Digital Compact. The Pact encourages public-private partnerships to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital domain. By creating conducive environments for investment in developing countries, the Compact seeks to stimulate economic growth and promote decent work through digital technologies. The Declaration on Future Generations is another cornerstone of the Pact, providing a blueprint for safeguarding the rights and well-being of future generations.

This Declaration is the first of its kind, outlining concrete steps for incorporating intergenerational dimensions and future-focused thinking into today's policymaking. One of its most notable provisions is the potential appointment of a UN Envoy for Future Generations, whose role will be to advocate for the long-term impacts of decisions made today. By Abdalla Sharief Hedi Bousnina Jakob Staubmann-03/10/2024 It is "a commitment to a new start in multilateralism," said a UN release. "The centerpiece of the Summit of the Future is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the multilateral system and steer humanity on a new course to meet existing commitments and solve long-term challenges." UNITED NATIONS, Sept.

24 (Xinhua) -- The two-day Summit of the Future concluded in the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday evening, as a major part of the ongoing 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) with... The summit featured the adoption of the Pact for the Future and its annexes -- the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations. It is "a commitment to a new start in multilateralism," said a UN release. "The centerpiece of the Summit of the Future is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the multilateral system and steer humanity on a new course to meet existing commitments and solve long-term challenges." "We stand at a crossroads of global transformation, facing unprecedented challenges that demand urgent, collective action," UNGA President Philemon Yang said at the opening segment on Sunday. "From conflict and climate change to the digital divide, from inequalities to threats against human rights, together, we all face profound challenges.

Yet, alongside these challenges, there is hope." The Summit of the Future that met at UN headquarters in September 2024 had a very timely and ambitious agenda that placed squarely before the world’s heads of state and government the interlocking crises,... Success with the agenda setting and preparations however was not met with success on the outcome or consensus agreement – the Pact for the Future. This was particularly noticeable with the need to correct the International Financial Architecture, as the Pact has now explicitly recognized the independent authority of the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs), with their existing decision-making process... With so many developing countries already facing multiple crises including debt crises, limited policy and fiscal space, high interest rates, trade and investment constraints, devasting conflict situations and civilian deaths, and cutbacks in ODA,... This would have been the straightforward assessment one year ago – progress in that the agenda addressed governance gaps, but lack of progress on the results.

On September 22-23, heads of state and government will gather in New York for the Summit of the Future, which will open the high-level week of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. The Summit has its origins in the 2021 report Our Common Agenda by UN Secretary-General António Guterres: it emphasises that today’s most pressing challenges can only be addressed through international cooperation. In the report – which was issued after the UN’s 75th anniversary, as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic – the Secretary-General proposed the Summit as an opportunity for countries to “forge a... Typically, UN member states individually consider each of the wide-ranging issues addressed at the assembly, negotiating resolutions for each agenda item. The Summit, however, provides an opportunity for member states to examine their cooperation more broadly, including on areas of intersection and overlap between issues that would normally be negotiated by different delegates in different... The centrepiece of the Summit will be the adoption of a Pact for the Future by the General Assembly, which covers five key areas:

The Pact will also include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. In theory, negotiations on the Pact for the Future ahead of the Summit could help UN member states to strengthen their commitment to multilateralism and re-energise efforts to collectively address global challenges. The reality, however, is shaping up to be far more pessimistic. Published 19 July 2024 in Analysis, News The consequences of climate change, poverty, growing inequalities, malnutrition, armed conflicts, and pandemics are challenges that must be addressed for the benefit of current and future generations. However, international cooperation, reliant on a fragile balance of power, is currently undermined by numerous ongoing conflicts.

In this context, the United Nations General Assembly will organize the "Summit of the Future" on September 22-23, 2024, bringing together states, civil society organizations, the private sector, and youth. Titled "Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Future", this Summit will reaffirm commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Paris... In a declaration adopted on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in September 2020, ember States recognized that "the world envisioned by the founders of the UN 75 years ago...

Summit Of The Future Seeks To Ensure Multilateralism Is Not A Relic Of

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