UN holds 'Summit of the Future' to tackle global crises

UNITED NATIONS, United States — Global leaders are gathering in New York on Sunday (Monday in Manila) for a «Summit of the Future» aimed at addressing 21st-century challenges ranging from conflict to climate, amid skepticism over whether the final pact will meet its lofty goals.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres first proposed the meeting in 2021, billing it as a «once-in-a-generation opportunity» to reshape human history by rekindling international cooperation.

As an opening act for the annual high-level week of the UN General Assembly, which begins Tuesday, dozens of heads of state and government are expected to adopt a «Pact for the Future» on Sunday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview with AFP at the United Nations headquarters on September 16, 2024 in New York City. AFP PHOTO

But after intense last-minute negotiations, Guterres expressed some frustration, urging nations to show «vision» and «courage» and calling for «maximum ambition» to strengthen international institutions that struggle to respond effectively to today's threats.

In the latest version of the text that will be submitted for adoption, leaders pledge to bolster the multilateral system to «keep pace with a changing world» and to «protect the needs and interests of current and future generations» facing «persistent crisis.» «We believe there is a path to a brighter future for all of humanity,» the document says.

Spanning nearly 30 pages, the pact outlines 56 «actions,» including commitments to multilateralism, upholding the UN Charter and peacekeeping.

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

Words to action

Even though there are some «good ideas,» the text «is not the sort of revolutionary document reforming the whole of multilateralism that Antonio Guterres had originally called for,» Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told Agence France-Presse.

The sentiment is widely shared among diplomats, many of whom express frustration when discussing the