The United Nations General Assembly on Sunday adopted the Pact for the Future, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres called a landmark agreement that represents a step towards more effective, inclusive and networked multilateralism, Euractiv reports.
The pact, which also includes an annex on working towards a responsible and sustainable digital future, was adopted without a vote at the start of the two-day Future Summit. The agreement was reached after nine months of negotiations. Guterres told the summit:
“We are here to bring multilateralism back from the brink.”
Guterres had long pushed for the summit and the pact, which covers peace and security, global governance, sustainable development, climate change, digital co-operation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations. It outlines 56 common actions that countries have committed to implement. He also added:
“We recognise 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. Today, we pledge a new beginning in multilateralism. The actions in this Pact aim to ensure that the United Nations and other key multilateral institutions can deliver a better future for people and planet, enabling us to fulfil our existing commitments while rising to new and emerging challenges and opportunities.”
Global crises have highlighted the need to reform the UN and overhaul international financial systems. These challenges include ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan, lagging climate change mitigation efforts, widespread sovereign debt problems and concerns about the development of unmanaged technologies.
