What is the Summit of the Future?

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United Nations – First proposed by UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, in 2021, the Summit of the Future, held on September 22 and 23, 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, aimed to address the needs and interests of current and future generations.

With the theme of  ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’, the summit was a high-level event of world leaders acting together to create a new international consensus on how to deliver a better present and safeguard the future. Discussions on concerns of the changing world aiming to find solutions formed the main parts of the summit along with deliberations on various issues that pose a threat to the international communities.

An outcome document, the Pact for the Future, containing solutions was signed by the heads of states at the summit. The Pact includes a global digital compact, and a declaration for future generations as annexes. Key focus areas of the Pact include sustainable development, international peace, and digital cooperation.

The Pact was created by teams of representatives of member states spending many months on negotiations, led by the Permanent Representatives of Germany, Namibia, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Jamaica, Sweden and Zambia.

The opening segment of the summit included the adoption the Pact, statements from the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and youth representatives, and the President of the Republic of Namibia and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany who were the co-facilitators.

Statements from delegations were held during the Plenary sessions. Special interactive dialogues, drawing attention to specific aspects of the Pact and solutions, featured diverse voices of stakeholders. Speakers included Heads of State and Government. There were statements by representatives of the UN system, major groups and other relevant stakeholders, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations.

The Pact of the Future – The Pact covers five themes.

(i) Sustainable development and financing for development.

(ii) International peace and security.

(iii) Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation.

(iv) Youth and future generations.

(v) Transforming global governance.

Sustainable Development –  Solutions include

• increase development and climate finance;
• end poverty and putting the planet and the poorest at the center.
• implement the 2030 Agenda in full and on time.
• create urgent and scaled up action, policies and investments.
• fulfill commitments on water, food systems, transforming education, and closing the financing gap to achieve the SDGs.
• accelerate efforts on climate and the environment.
• create pathways to a global temperature rise of less than 1.5 degrees.
• implement the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Conference.
• realize the human rights of all.
• achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

International Peace and Security – Solutions include

• prevent conflicts and addressing their root causes.
• strive for the peaceful settlement of disputes through diplomacy and mediation.
• promote peace building and sustaining peace.
• counter terrorism
• further disarmament and non-proliferation
• promote the responsible use of new technology, including AI in military and security
• foster the peaceful use of outer space.

Science, Technology and Innovation – Solutions include

• close the STI divides between developed and developing countries.
• Ensure that STI contribute to upholding human rights and improving gender equality and the lives of all women and girls.
• Close all digital divides and accelerating progress across the Sustainable Development
• Expand inclusion in and benefits from the digital economy for all.
• Foster an inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital space.
• Advance data governance.
• Enhance governance of emerging ICT Technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Youth and Future Generations – Solutions include

• Make a global standard for meaningful youth engagement.
• Commit to youth engagement in all UN Intergovernmental mechanisms and
• Develop and establishing dedicated guidance and protocols on the protection of young
• Build a global youth investment platform to support relevant initiatives.
• Create national youth consultative bodies.
• Strengthen the youth delegate program as well as the ECOSOC Youth Forum.
• Agree on a declaration on future generations.
• Leverage Science, Data and Strategic Foresight for long-term thinking and planning.
• Adopt future oriented culture and ways of working across the United Nations System for science-based sustainable decision-making.

Transforming Global Governance – Solutions include

• reform the Security Council.
• improve the UN’s expertise and organizational culture.
• revitalize the Commission on the Status of Women.
• strengthen human rights.
• improve multi-stakeholder participation.
• Realize the potential of the Global Financial Frameworks
• Create an international financial architecture for all.
• Have better access to concessional development finance.
• enhance responses to worldwide shocks.
• develop an Emergency Platform.
• develop more coherent, coordinated and multidimensional international response to disruptive global events such Covid 19.
• Create more effective international co-operation in space exploration.
• ensure the sustainable use of outer space for the benefit of all.

The Global Digital Compact, annex to the Pact for the Future – The Global Digital Compact annex to the Pact for the Future was also adopted by world leaders at the summit. The Compact outlines the benefits of digital technologies and discusses in detail the objectives, principles, commitments and actions by all member state of the UN to develop an open, free and secure digital future for all.

The Compact, like the Pact, discusses pressing international issues posing threat including

1. sustainable development,
2. international peace,
3. future generations and technology and innovation, and
4. digital cooperation.

Actions towards solutions for the Compact include –

• Establish an independent International Scientific Panel on AI will be established within the United Nations to promote scientific understanding.
• Initiate a Global Dialogue on AI Governance involving governments and all relevant stakeholders will be initiated to take place at the margins of existing relevant UN conferences and meetings.
• develop innovative financing mechanisms and incentives to connect the remaining 2.6 billion people to the Internet.
• establish appropriate safeguards to prevent and address any adverse impact on human rights arising from the use of digital and emerging technologies
• provide and facilitate access to independent science-based information to counter misinformation and disinformation.

The Declaration on Future Generations annex to the Pact for the Future – The Declaration underscores the need to safeguard the needs and interests of future generations and promote intergenerational solidarity, justice and equity. It recognizes the intergenerational multiplier effect of the decisions, actions, and inactions of the present generations, and their responsibility to safeguard the needs and interests of the future generations.

Guiding Principles of the Declaration –

1. international peace and security.
2. Respect for human rights
3. clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
4. responsible and ethical use of science, technology and innovation.

Actions for the Declaration include –

• Leverage science, data, statistics and strategic foresight.
• Ensure inclusive and equitable access to knowledge, science and information, while promoting innovation, critical thinking and life-skills.
• Strengthen systems of national and global accounting
• Invest in capacity to better prepare for and respond to future global shocks, crises and challenges
• Undertake a whole-of-government approach.
• Enhance cooperation with civil society, academia, and the scientific and technological community.
• Equip the multilateral system to support States in their efforts to implement this Declaration
• Foster an organizational culture that is future-oriented and mainstreamed across the United Nations system.