New York (Web Desk/Agencies): World leaders on Sunday adopted a Pact for the Future aimed at strengthening global governance to address challenges ranging from conflict to climate change and human rights, despite last-minute objections from a group of countries led by Russia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who organized the “Summit of the Future,” had billed it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reshape human history by rekindling international cooperation.
The pact aims to strengthen global governance and tackle key challenges facing humanity, including sustainable development, international peace, and technological innovation, youth and future generations and transforming global governance. It also proposes detailed action plans to address these challenges.
The adoption of the text faced a brief delay when Russia’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Sergey Vershinin, introduced an amendment emphasizing the “principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states” and urging the U.N. to avoid duplicating efforts.
Russia’s objections were backed by allies Belarus, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua and Syria, but its amendment did not pass in a motion to take no action. Pakistan and China abstained.
As the President of UN General Assembly, Philemon Yang of Cameroon, banged the gravel to signal the adoption of the Pact, loud applause ranged out in the packed hall where dozens of world leaders and high-level delegates were present.
According to Pakistan UN Ambassador Munir Akram said that while the documents was “not perfect”, it will advance world community’s common objectives.
“Pakistan has worked diligently for the successful adoption of the Pact for the Future,” he stressed.
“Our primary goal has been to ensure that the Pact upholds the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, enhances equity among and within nations, accelerates progress on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs (sustainable development goals), and strengthens the UN’s ability to advance peace, development and human rights.”
Ambassador Akram added, “While the negotiation process was not satisfactory, and the Pact is not perfect, we believe it will advance these common objectives of the international community.”
In the adopted version, leaders pledged to bolster the multilateral system to “keep pace with a changing world” and to “protect the needs and interests of current and future generations” facing “persistent crisis.”
“We believe there is a path to a brighter future for all of humanity,” the document says
The pact outlines 56 “actions,” including commitments to multilateralism, upholding the UN Charter and peacekeeping.
It also calls for reforms to international financial institutions and the U.N. Security Council, along with renewed efforts to combat climate change, promote disarmament, and guide the development of artificial intelligence.
During the negotiations phase, Guterres had urged nations to show “vision” and “courage,” calling for “maximum ambition” to strengthen international institutions that struggle to respond effectively to today’s threats.
The fight against global warming was one of the sticking points in the negotiations, with references to the “transition” away from fossil fuels having disappeared from the draft text weeks ago, before being re-inserted.
Developing countries have been particularly vocal in demanding concrete commitments on the reform of international financial institutions, aiming to secure easier access to preferential financing, especially considering the impacts of climate change.
Yang, the General Assembly President, hailed the adoption as a “pledge to address immediate crises” and “lay the foundations for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order.”
The Global Digital Compact outlines principles for an open and human-centered digital future, while the Declaration on Future Generations calls for recognizing the rights of future generations in decision-making processes.
Yang emphasized the need for solidarity and multilateral cooperation in implementing the pact’s commitments. He described the upcoming Summit of the Future as a “call to action” to shape a future that protects both humanity and the planet.
In his address, Guterres, the UN chief, said he called for the Summit of Future “because 21st-century challenges require 21st-century solutions” and “we need tough decisions to get back on track.
Stating that the world is going through a time of turbulence and transition, Guterres said: “We cannot wait for perfect conditions.”
“We must take the first decisive steps towards updating and reforming international cooperation to make it more networked, fair and inclusive now, and today, thanks to your efforts, we have,” said Guterres.