‘Create a future fit for our children and grandchildren,’ Guterres urges ahead of game-changing summit
Mr Guterres spoke as negotiations for Summit of the FutureThe opening ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters on Sunday is entering its final leg.
“Today I have a most important message: a call to member states to have a spirit of compromise.. Let’s show the world what we can do when we work together,” he said. speak.
‘The essential first step’
Mr. Guterres told journalists that the two-day Future Summit was “an essential first step toward making global institutions more legitimate, more effective and more relevant to the world of today and tomorrow.”
“We cannot create a future that works for our children with systems built for our grandparents,” he said, stressing that the summit “cannot fail.”
He said the work done in preparation showed “potential breakthroughs on several key fronts”.
This includes “the most powerful language on the planet.” Security Council reform in a generation – and the most concrete step towards Council expansion since 1963”, the first governance measures for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies, and advances in reforming the international financial architecture.
Other items include funding for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and commitment to promote a Stimulating SDGs plans to increase support for developing countries.
“It would be tragic if all of this were lost.“, he warned.
Challenges, crises and conflicts
Mr Guterres said the summit was “very important” because “international challenges are evolving faster than our ability to address them”.
He pointed to “out-of-control geopolitical divisions and uncontrolled conflicts — particularly in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere,” alongside “uncontrolled” climate change, inequality and debt, as well as the development of AI and other technologies without guidance or barriers.
“Crisis are interacting and impacting each other – for example, when digital technology spreads climate misinformation, increases distrust and fuels polarization,” he said.
Reforming multilateral institutions
Meanwhile, multilateral institutions “born in a bygone era for a bygone world” simply cannot keep up.
Mr. Guterres said many of the challenges facing the world today went unnoticed 80 years ago when these institutions were established.
“Our founders understood that times change,” he said. “They understood that the values that underpin our global institutions are timeless – but Organizations themselves cannot be frozen in time.“ .
A world of change
The peacemakers at that time could not have predicted the changes that have taken place over the past eight decades, he said.
During this time, the world has witnessed independence movements, the economic and geopolitical rise of many developing countries, catastrophic climate and space exploration consequences, and the rise of the Internet, smartphones, and social media, all fueled by AI.
“Like the founders, we can’t know exactly what the future holds,” he admits.
“But we don’t need a crystal ball to see that 21rankThe challenges of the century require more effective, more networked, and more inclusive problem-solving mechanisms; that serious power imbalances in global institutions must be corrected and updated; and that our institutions must draw on the expertise and representation of all humanity.”
While change won’t happen overnight, “it can start today.”“, he stressed.
Get the job done
Member states attending the Summit are expected to adopt a Treaty for the futurewith one Global Digital Pact And Statement on future generations is attached to it.
Mr Guterres expressed hope that they would “do everything possible” to get these documents “to their destination”.
World leaders to attend
More than 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend the Future Summit, which takes place from September 22-23 – just ahead of the annual debate at the United Nations General Assembly.
The summit will follow two “action days” where non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics and private sector representatives will engage on key topics.
Reporters asked the Secretary-General how the Summit and its resulting documents would differ from previous UN meetings, such as the 2016 SDG Summit, which also ended with the adoption of international declarations and treaties.
Mr. Guterres replied that while the SDG Summit and other events were “about the content,” the Future Summit was “about the how,” once again highlighting the critical need to reform decades-old institutions.
