United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on divided nations around the world to come together to adopt the Future Compact – a plan to tackle global challenges.
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| UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a press conference on September 18. (Source: AFP) |
The official website of the UN posted the content of Mr. Guterres' press conference on September 18, in which he emphasized that the discussions on the Future Compact have reached a decisive stage and that failure to reach consensus among the 193 member states "would be a tragedy".
The 30-page draft Future Treaty, now in its fourth revision, has undergone months of discussion.
Mr Guterres has faced questions about the vision of the pact and how it differs from UN documents adopted in recent years but not implemented.
“All the previous major declarations have been about what is needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” he replied emphatically. “The Future Summit, meanwhile, is about meeting those challenges, requiring reform of global institutions.”
There is a “serious governance problem” in everything from climate to artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Secretary-General.
The draft Future Compact warns that leaders are gathering at the UN “at a time of profound global transformation” and are wary of “rising existential and catastrophic risks” that could plunge humanity into a crisis-filled future.
The draft outlines 51 actions to address issues such as eradicating poverty, combating climate change, achieving gender equality, promoting peace and protecting civilians, as well as renewing the multilateral system to take advantage of current and future opportunities.
The UN chief highlighted the “potential breakthroughs” in the accord, including “the strongest language on UN Security Council reform in a generation,” along with the most concrete steps to expand the 15-member body’s powers since 1963.
He also outlined first steps to regulate new technologies, including artificial intelligence, and pledged to increase resources for developing countries to achieve the UN Development Goals by 2030.
With disagreements still remaining, such as objections from Russia on some 15 issues, as well as conflicting opinions from Saudi Arabia on climate language, Mr. Guterres still called on member states to compromise.
“We cannot create a future suitable for our children with systems built for our grandparents,” he said.
A year ago, the UN Secretary General warned of the survival of humanity and the planet. He convened world leaders for a Future Summit this weekend, hoping to reach consensus and action to reform the UN and other institutions established after World War II to deal with new global threats.
The conference takes place on September 22-23, right before the opening of the High-Level Week of the 79th UN General Assembly on September 24.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington’s priority at this year’s Future Summit is “creating a more inclusive and effective international system.” She expressed hope that despite major differences, countries can still reach consensus.
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