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LIVE: World leaders adopt game-changing UN Pact for the Future

Details: Category: English Media; Published: Monday, 23 September 2024 10:14; Written by Eager

UN Photo/Loey Felipe The Summit of the Future Action Days.

World leaders are at UN Headquarters in New York this Sunday where world leaders have just adopted the Pact for the Future by consensus - with a small group of just seven countries holding out, having failed to pass a last-minute amendment. The centrepiece 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 adopts ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance

New York, 22 September 2024 – World leaders today adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. This Pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow. The most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, covering entirely new areas as well as issues on which agreement has not been possible in decades, the Pact aims above all to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created. As the Secretary-General has said, “we cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents.”

Overall, the agreement of the Pact is a strong statement of countries’ commitment to the United Nations, the international system and international law. Leaders set out a clear vision of an international system that can deliver on its promises, is more representative of today’s world and draws on the energy and expertise of governments, civil society and other key partners.

“The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations open the door to new opportunities and untapped possibilities,” said the Secretary-General during his remarks at the opening of the Summit of the Future. The President of the General Assembly noted that the Pact would “lay the foundations for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order – for all peoples and nations.”

The Pact covers a broad range of issues including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance. Key deliverables in the Pact include:

In the area of peace and security

The most progressive and concrete commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s, with plans to improve the effectiveness and representativeness of the Council, including by redressing the historical under-representation of Africa as a priority.
The first multilateral recommitment to nuclear disarmament in more than a decade, with a clear commitment to the goal of totally eliminating nuclear weapons.
Agreement to strengthen international frameworks that govern outer space, including a clear commitment to prevent an arms race in outer space and the need to ensure all countries can benefit from the safe and sustainable exploration of outer space.
Steps to avoid the weaponization and misuse of new technologies, such as lethal autonomous weapons, and affirmation that the laws of war should apply to many of these new technologies.

On sustainable development, climate and financing for development

The entire Pact is designed to turbo-charge implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The most detailed agreement ever at the United Nations on the need for reform of the international financial architecture so that it better represents and serves developing countries, including:
- Giving developing countries a greater say in how decisions are taken at international financial institutions;
- Mobilizing more financing from multilateral development banks to help developing countries meet their development needs;
- Reviewing the sovereign debt architecture to ensure that developing countries can borrow sustainably to invest in their future, with the IMF, UN, G20 and other key players working together;
- Strengthening the global financial safety net to protect the poorest in the event of financial and economic shocks, through concrete actions by the IMF and Member States;
- and accelerating measures to address the challenge of climate change, including through delivering more finance to help countries adapt to climate change and invest in renewable energy.
Improving how we measure human progress, going beyond GDP to capturing human and planetary wellbeing and sustainability.
A commitment to consider ways to introduce a global minimum level of taxation on high-net-worth individuals.
On climate change, confirmation of the need to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

On digital cooperation

The Global Digital Compact, annexed to the Pact, is the first comprehensive global framework for digital cooperation and AI governance.
At the heart of the Compact is a commitment to design, use and govern technology for the benefit of all. This includes commitments by world leaders to:
- Connect all people, schools and hospitals to the Internet;
- Anchor digital cooperation in human rights and international law;
- Make the online space safe for all, especially children, through actions by governments, tech companies and social media;
- Govern Artificial Intelligence, with a roadmap that includes an International Scientific Panel and a Global Policy Dialogue on AI;
- Make data more open and accessible, with agreements on open-source data, models, and standards;
- This is also the first global commitment to data governance, placing it on the UN agenda and requiring countries to take concrete actions by 2030.

Youth and future generations

The first ever Declaration on Future Generations, with concrete steps to take account of future generations in our decision-making, including a possible envoy for future generations.
A commitment to more meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, especially at the global level.

Human rights and gender

A strengthening of our work on human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women.
A clear call on the need to protect human rights defenders.
Strong signals on the importance of engagement of other stakeholders in global governance, including local and regional governments, civil society, private sector and others.

There are provisions across the Pact and its annexes for follow-up action, to ensure that the commitments made are implemented.

Summit Process

The Summit process and the Pact have been deeply enriched by the contributions of millions of voices and thousands of stakeholders from around the world.

The Summit brought together over 4000 individuals from Heads of State and Government, observers, IGOs, UN System, civil society and non-governmental organizations. In a broader push to increase the engagement of diverse actors, the formal Summit was preceded by the Action Days from 20-21 September, which attracted more than 7,000 individuals representing all segments of society. The Action Days featured strong commitments to action by all stakeholders, as well as pledges of USD 1.05 billion to advance digital inclusion.

What to expect at the United Nations general debate

Details: Category: English Media; Published: Thursday, 19 September 2024 11:20; Written by Eager

UN Photo/Cia Pak UN Secretary-General António Guterres (at podium) addresses the opening of 78th session of the General Assembly annual debate. (file)

By Daniel Dickinson

It’s the busiest and probably most high-profile week at UN Headquarters in New York, where leaders from across the world come together to discuss global issues or highlight their country-specific priorities.

The 79th session of General Assembly gets underway in mid-September and the centrepiece for many is the annual general debate. But what exactly is it?

Here’s what you need to know about the debate which begins on Tuesday, 24 September:

What is the general debate?

The general debate is the annual meeting in September of Heads of State and Government of the 193 UN Member States. It takes place at the beginning of the General Assembly session, often known as UNGA.

It is usually the first debate of the session and, with the exception of the concurrent high-level meetings, the only one in which Heads of State and Government regularly participate.

UN Photo/Cia Pak A UN security officer stands at the bottom of the podium stairs in the General Assembly Hall.

Is it really a debate?

Not really. The general debate offers the representatives of all Member States (and some other entities) the opportunity to deliver a speech in the hallowed surroundings of the General Assembly Hall.

There is no discussion or debate immediately after any speech. However, Member States do have the right of reply, and this is made in writing by a Head of State. The letter is addressed to the Secretary-General, who will circulate it to all Member States. During the general debate, statements in exercise of the right of reply are made at the end of each day.

The theme for this September session, the 79th, is Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations. Decided in broad consultation by the President of the General Assembly, many Heads of State may reference it in their speeches but are not obliged to do so.

UN Photo/Mark Garten Hugo Chávez (centre), the former Venezuelan President, arrives at UN Headquarters in New York in September 2006. (file)

Who speaks when?

In current practice, after the opening of the meeting, the UN Secretary-General makes a statement, followed by the President of the General Assembly.

Traditionally, and at least since the 10th session of the General Assembly in September 1955, it has been Brazil that opens the debate. According to the UN Protocol and Liaison Services, initially in the early days of the debate no one State wanted to be the first to speak, and Brazil stepped in on several occasions.

The United States, as the UN’s host country, is next on the podium.

The speaking order of the other 191 Member States is based on criteria such as geographic balance as well as the level of representation and their preference – for instance, a Head of State may not be present in New York at the beginning of the debate.

Other than the Member States, the only others invited to participate are the non-member observer States of Holy See and the State of Palestine as well as the European Union, which has observer status at the UN.

UN Photo/Marco Castro Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi addresses the General Assembly in September 2009. (file)

Flashing light, flashing tempers

A voluntary 15-minute time limit for statements is informally suggested during the general debate, and speakers are discreetly alerted by a red-flashing light when their time is up, although they are never interrupted or stopped.

The key word here is voluntary, and many, if not most, Heads of State speak for longer.

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro still has the record dating back to 1960 for the longest ever speech famously clocking in at 269 minutes, or just under four and a half hours, after promising “we shall do our best to be brief.”

There have been other long and very long speeches, but ones perhaps more notable for content rather than length.

UN Photo/J. Carrier Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel addresses the General Assembly in September 2012. (file)

In 2006, amid rising tensions between the US and Venezuela, the latter’s President Hugo Chávez called then-US President George W. Bush “the devil” from the podium.

In 2009, the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi delivered a scathing 100-minute-long speech highly critical of the UN Security Council and the veto power of the five permanent members

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held up a cartoon representation of a bomb in 2012 to warn the world that Iran was just months away from being able to build a nuclear weapon.

And former US president Donald Trump in 2017 threatened to “totally destroy North Korea”, disparagingly referring to its leader Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man”.

The gavel, the walk-out

The first general debate took place in 1946 and over the intervening almost 80 years, plenty of tradition, pomp and circumstance and a few myths have become associated with the event.

The gavel, which was gifted to the UN in 1952 by Iceland is used to mark the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions of the general debate and, when necessary, also to retain order.

It was used to try and silence the then leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev who, so legend has it, took off his shoe and banged it on the rostrum to forcefully make his point.

Sometimes diplomatic decorum is upended when whole delegations decide to leave the General Assembly Hall to protest against the views and actions of another Member State, although in recent years, it has become common enough not to shock.

Israel regularly protests Iran’s speech and vice-versa.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (right), President of the 73rd General Assembly session, holds the gavel after the handover from Miroslav Lajčák (centre), President of the 72nd session, with Secretary-General António Guterres in 2018. (file)