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Days away from the Summit of the Future and the opening of the 79th UN General Assembly, Secretary-General appealed to Member States for “a spirit of compromise,” and “show the world what we can do, when we work together.”
Secretary-General António Guterres today (18 Sep) spoke to reporters in New York.
He said, “The Summit of the Future is an essential first step towards making global institutions more legitimate, effective, and fit for the world of today and tomorrow,” urging Member States to “seize this opportunity.”
The UN chief emphasized the critical role of the Summit of Future, as it was born out of a cold, hard fact: international challenges are moving faster than our ability to solve them.
Guterres also stated that many of the challenges the world faces today were not on the radar 80 years ago when the multilateral institutions were born.
The founders of the UN understood that times would change, he said, adding that though values that underpin the global institutions are timeless – the institutions themselves cannot be frozen in time.
Guterres said, “Like our founders, we cannot know precisely what the future holds. But we don’t need a crystal ball to see that 21st century challenges require global problem-solving mechanisms that are more effective, networked and inclusive; That serious power imbalances in global institutions must be adjusted and updated; And that our institutions must draw on the expertise and representation of all of humanity.”
“Change will not happen overnight. But it can start today,” the Secretary-General highlighted.
He said, “when we look at the work that was already done in preparation for the Summit of the Future, we see movement in the right direction.”
Guterres noted the strongest language on Security Council reform in a generation; the first set of governance measures for new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence; a major advance in reform of the International Financial Architecture, a step change in financing the Sustainable Development Goals and a commitment to advance the SDG Stimulus, multiplying the resources available to developing countries.
“The list goes on. It would be tragic if all of this would be lost,” the UN chief reiterated.
The Summit of the Future (22-23 Sep.) will produce an inter-governmentally negotiated, action-oriented Pact for the Future with chapters on Sustainable development and financing for development; International peace and security; Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation; Youth and future generations; and Transforming global governance.
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