UN Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow
The UN Summit of the Future is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. This once-in-a-generation opportunity serves as a moment to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively tackle current challenges as well as those that have emerged in recent years or may yet be over the horizon.
We already have the "what" in the form of many existing agreements and commitments, starting with the UN Charter and including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and many others. The Summit of the Future will look at the "how" – how do we cooperate better to deliver on the above aspiration and goals? How do we better meet the needs of the present while also preparing for the challenges of the future?
The world is not on track to meet the goals we have already set for ourselves. Nor are we effectively rising to new challenges or opportunities. The speed and complexity of developments have outpaced our systems for cooperating and coping. The benefits and opportunities of progress are spread unevenly, with the majority of people left behind. The risks and threats are also unevenly felt, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable. Extreme poverty and hunger are on the march. Global emissions are at their highest levels in human history, as are levels of human displacement. Threats such as climate, conflict, food security, weapons of mass destruction, pandemics and health crises, and the risks associated with new technologies, are growing. Multilateral governance, designed in simpler, slower times, is not adequate to today’s complex, interconnected, rapidly changing world. The Summit is an opportunity to put ourselves on a better path.
The Summit of the Future will take place at the United Nations in New York City on September 22-23, 2024. There are provisions in the Modalities for the Summit of the Future resolution (A/RES/76/307) for multi-stakeholder participation in the Summit. Member States committed to the participation of various stakeholders through the invitation of "representatives of non-governmental organizations that are in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to participate in the Summit" and a request to "the President of the General Assembly to draw up a list of representatives of other relevant non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector" to participate in the Summit upon Member States' consideration on a non-objection basis. Those stakeholders will be invited to participate in interactive dialogues to be held in parallel with the plenary meetings during the Summit. Youth organizations, in particular, are encouraged to participate, including in the opening segment. Additional details on arrangements will be provided on the website of the President of the General Assembly.
More Information
For more information about the UN Summit for the Future, follow the link here or register.