REGIONAL conflicts and climate change are some of the more pressing matters that global leaders discussed during the “Summit of the Future” in New York two days ago. The idea was proposed by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in 2021, billing it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reshape human history by rekindling international cooperation.

Dozens of world leaders attended this summit, among them President Philemon Yang of the General Assembly, Ghanim Mohammed Al Muftah of Qatar, Niria Alicia Garcia of the United States, Monicah Malith of Sudan, Chancellor Olaf Sholz of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Nangolo Mbumba of Namibia. They were the first to heed the call of the UN to show vision and courage, and embrace the global maximum ambition to strengthen international institutions that struggle to respond effectively to today’s threats.

‘These are all good plans with lofty objectives for the future of mankind and should be fleshed out with concrete action, or the UN will be derided again as just a toothless global discussion group.’

As in other international meetings, the leaders adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. This pact has been billed as the most wide-ranging international accord in many years, and of course it is, because others in this league such as Bretton Woods and the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) were drafted and adopted at a time when the internet as we know it today was still nonexistent or in its nascent stage.  

The group of nations reaffirmed their belief that there is a path to a brighter future for all humanity, and the first step is the Pact that spans nearly 30 pages and outlines nearly 60 “actions,” including commitments to multilateralism, upholding the UN Charter and peacekeeping.

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.

Some important concerns were included in the Pact, such as a plan to improve effectiveness and representation in the Council, including redressing the historical under-representation of Africa. There is also the first multilateral recommitment to nuclear disarmament in more than a decade, with a clear commitment to the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons. Reading this provision, we are reminded that the US military has rejected successive requests from China to withdraw its Typhon middle-range land-based missile vertical missile launcher which was deployed for the first time in the Indo-Pacific, and at our very own Laoag International Airport, one of the nine EDCA sites. This facility can carry a Tomahawk missile with a nuclear warhead and fire it up to 1,000 miles.

As expected, the Pact is designed to push forward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It grants developing countries greater say in how decisions are taken at international financial institutions. If implemented well and observed by western nations who are after all the decision makers in the world economy, debtor countries would not be burdened with lopsided loan agreements because sovereign debt architecture would be reviewed to ensure they can borrow sustainably to invest in their future, with the IMF, UN, G20 and other key players working together.

The Global Digital Compact, meanwhile, is about firm commitments to design, use, and government technology for the benefit of all.

These are all good plans with lofty objectives for the future of mankind and should be fleshed out with concrete action, or the UN will be derided again as just a toothless global discussion group.