Three Landmark Agreements A Step Change Towards More Effective

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the Summit of the Future, in New York today: Welcome to the Summit of the Future. I thank the co-facilitators, the former and current Presidents of the General Assembly, and all Member States, for their strong engagement, creativity, and spirit of compromise; and all my colleagues for their invaluable efforts... We are here to bring multilateralism back from the brink. I called for this Summit to consider deep reforms to make global institutions more legitimate, fair and effective, based on the values of the UN Charter. I called for this Summit because twenty-first century challenges require twenty-first century solutions: frameworks that are networked and inclusive; and that draw on the expertise of all of humanity.

I called for this summit because our world is heading off the rails — and we need tough decisions to get back on track. Conflicts are raging and multiplying, from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan, with no end in sight. Our collective security system is threatened by geopolitical divides, nuclear posturing and the development of new weapons and theatres of war. Resources that could bring opportunities and hope are invested in death and destruction. Huge inequalities are a brake on sustainable development. Many developing countries are drowning in debt and unable to support their people.

And we have no effective global response to emerging, complex and even existential threats. The United Nations is in need for a complete overhaul as it was established eight decades ago, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged in his opening remarks to the Summit of the Future on September... When the UN was established nearly 80 years ago, it had 51 Member States. This number is now 193, Guterres noted. The global economy was less than one-twelfth of its current size. The international financial architecture was established when many of today’s developing countries were under colonial rule.

“It does not represent the realities of today’s global economy, and it is no longer able to resolve global economic challenges: debt, climate action, sustainable development. It does not provide the global safety net that developing countries need,” said the Secretary-General. In the meanwhile, technology, geopolitics and globalisation have transformed power relations, with the world going through a time of turbulence and a period of transition. The Pact for the Future is the UN's master plan for tackling challenges that lie ahead for humanity, with 56 "actions" covering everything from peacekeeping to the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence. The pact underlines the "increasingly complex challenges" to world peace, notably the threat of nuclear war, with the document reiterating the UN's core tenets. by Xinhua writers Xia Lin, Gao Shan, Pan Yunzhao

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Summit of the Future opened at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York on Sunday, with the adoption of a Pact for the Future, as well as its annexes... The Pact for the Future is the UN's master plan for tackling challenges that lie ahead for humanity, with 56 "actions" covering everything from peacekeeping to the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence. The pact underlines the "increasingly complex challenges" to world peace, notably the threat of nuclear war, with the document reiterating the UN's core tenets. The pact promises to accelerate efforts to attain the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim for the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030, an intensified battle against hunger, promotion of gender equality and... Most of the objectives were set in 2005, but are far from being realized.

Against that backdrop, and with poor countries particularly mobilized for change, the pact especially calls for "reform of the international financial architecture." UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly adopted a "Pact for the Future" on Sunday, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a landmark agreement that is a "step-change towards more effective, inclusive, networked multilateralism." The pact, which also includes an annex on working toward a responsible and sustainable digital future, was adopted without a vote at the start of a two-day Summit of the Future. The agreement came after some nine months of negotiations. "We are here to bring multilateralism back from the brink," Guterres told the summit.

Guterres long-pushed for the summit and the pact, which covers themes including peace and security, global governance, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations. It lays out some 56 broad actions that countries pledged to achieve. "We recognize that the multilateral system and its institutions, with the United Nations and its Charter at the centre, must be strengthened to keep pace with a changing world. They must be fit for the present and the future – effective and capable, prepared for the future, just, democratic, equitable and representative of today's world, inclusive, interconnected and financially stable.

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