Guterres was referring to the “Pact for the Future”, to which the “Global Digital Pact” and the “Declaration on Future Generations” were adhered.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, welcomed this Sunday the adoption of “three historic agreements” at the Summit of the Future, defending that its objective is a radical change that will allow “multilateralism to get out of the abyss”.
At stake is the adoption at the UN headquarters in New York of the “Pact for the Future”, the main document of this Summit, which aims to chart “a better future” for humanity and to which the attached “Global Digital Pact” and the “Declaration on Future Generations” were added.
“We are here to pull multilateralism back from the brink. (…) I called this Summit because our world is going off track and we need tough decisions to get it back on track,” Guterres urged.
“Conflicts are spreading and multiplying, from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan, with no end in sight. Our collective security system is threatened by geopolitical divisions, nuclear posturing and the development of new weapons and theatres of war. Resources that could bring opportunity and hope are instead spent on death and destruction,” he lamented.
The UN leader stressed that, despite current difficulties, there is no effective global response to emerging, complex and “even existential” threats, adding that multilateral tools and institutions are incapable of responding effectively to today’s political, economic, environmental and technological challenges.
Guterres also criticised the UN Security Council itself, calling it “obsolete” and having “eroded authority”.
“Unless its composition and working methods are reformed, it will eventually lose all credibility,” he warned.
The UN Security Council, often seen as outdated, has been the target of calls for reform and expansion for decades, with emerging countries such as India, South Africa and Brazil seeking to join the five permanent members.
In general, almost all UN countries consider it necessary to reform the Security Council, but there is no agreement on how to do so, with different proposals on the table for years, some of which include a permanent African representation on the Council.
“Our world is going through a turbulent time and a period of transition. But we cannot wait for the conditions to be perfect. We must take the first decisive steps to update and reform international cooperation and make it more connected, fair and inclusive, now. And today, thanks to your efforts, we have achieved this,” said Guterres, after the adoption of the three agreements.
The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Pact and the Declaration on Future Generations “open the way to new possibilities and opportunities,” said the former Portuguese Prime Minister.
“I welcome these three historic agreements: a radical change towards a more effective, inclusive and networked multilateralism. I have been fighting for their ideas since the first day of my mandate. And I will be fully committed to their implementation until the last day,” he assured dozens of Heads of State and Government.
“Throughout my life, whether as a political activist or at the UN, I have learned that people never agree on the past. To rebuild trust, we must start with the present and look to the future. People around the world expect a future of peace, dignity and prosperity. And they see the United Nations as essential to solving these challenges,” he added.
Despite the adoption by consensus of these three agreements, the Future Summit began this Sunday in New York amid great controversy following an intervention by the Russian delegation, which categorically rejected the “Pact for the Future” – which had been under negotiation for months – and called for it to be changed.
“There was no meeting where all delegations sat down to study the document paragraph by paragraph. Changes were only introduced to benefit Western countries. This cannot be called multilateralism. It is a major failure of the UN principle of sovereign equality of states,” the Russian delegation argued.
Moscow’s position was reinforced by countries such as Venezuela, which referred to an “arrogant attitude” on the part of Western countries that do not consider “the sacred principle of non-interference in the affairs of other states.”
Russia attempted to boycott the “Pact for the Future” by amending the text, which was ultimately rejected by the majority of the UN General Assembly.
Source: Observadora
