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UN approves pact for 'a brighter future' for humanity

2024-09-22 21:13:09Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

UN approves pact for 'a brighter future' for humanity

The United Nations on September 22 adopted a "Pact for the Future" aimed at addressing the century's many challenges, from conflicts to climate change and human rights, despite last-minute objections from a group of Russian-led countries.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who organized the "Summit for the Future," called it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to rewrite human history by fostering international cooperation.

As an opening act for the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, which starts on September 24, dozens of heads of state and government gathered for the signing of the text.

In the approved version, the leaders pledged to strengthen the multilateral system to "keep pace with a changing world" and to "protect the needs and interests of current and future generations" in the face of "continuing crises."

"We believe there is a path to a brighter future for all of humanity," the document says.

The pact contains 56 "actions" including commitments to multilateralism, the protection of the UN Charter and the maintenance of peace.

He also calls for reforms in international financial institutions and the UN Security Council, along with renewed efforts to combat climate change, promote disarmament and lead the development of artificial intelligence.

The adoption of the text was met with a short delay when Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergey Vershinin, submitted an amendment stressing "the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of states."

Russia's objections were supported by its allies, such as Belarus, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua and Syria, but its amendment was overwhelmingly rejected.

From words to actions
During the negotiation phase, Guterres had urged nations to show "vision" and "courage," calling for "maximum ambition" to strengthen international institutions to respond effectively to today's threats.

However, while there are some "good ideas," the text "is not the revolutionary document that reforms all multilateralism, as Antonio Guterres originally demanded," Richard Gowan, from the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

Similarly, many diplomats expressed disappointment when discussing the text's ambition and impact, describing it as "lukewarm", "the lowest common denominator", and "disappointing".

"Ideally, we would like new ideas, fresh ideas," one diplomat said.

The fight against global warming was one of the talking points in the negotiations, with references to the "transition" away from fossil fuels that had disappeared from the draft text a few weeks earlier, before being re-made.

Despite the criticism, the pact is still "an opportunity to affirm our collective commitment to multilateralism, even in the difficult current geopolitical context", a Western diplomat said, stressing the need to rebuild trust between the North and the Global South.

Developing countries have been particularly vocal in demanding concrete commitments to reform international financial institutions, aiming to ensure easier access to preferential financing, especially taking into account the impacts of climate change.

The text does indeed include "significant commitments to economic justice and reform of the international financial architecture", human rights watch (HRW) commented, also praising the "focus on human rights."

However, world leaders "still need to show that they are willing to act to protect human rights," said Louis Charbonneau, HRW's DIRECTOR for the UN.

Despite its content, the pact and its annexes — a Global Digital Pact and a Declaration on Future Generations — are not legally binding, thus raising concerns about implementation, especially since certain principles — such as protecting civilians in conflict — are violated every day.

"Our next task is to give them life, to turn words into actions," Guterres said.


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