KATHMANDU, Nepal, Aug 5, 2024 (IPS) – Preparations are underway for the upcoming event. Summit of the FutureIt is perhaps UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ most important initiative to date.
This gathering will be seen as a serious attempt to address some of the most complex and persistent problems of our time, and could help establish the Secretary-General’s legacy as an idealistic architect of a stronger and more cohesive multilateral system.
The summit, to be held on September 22-23, will provide a platform for the international community to discuss how to strengthen and improve global governance.
https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future
Based on the proposal Our common agendaIn line with the comprehensive blueprint laid out by Guterres in 2021, the meeting will seek to broker agreement among member states on how to further strengthen some of the core pillars of multilateralism.
List proposal An in-depth and comprehensive report covering multiple policy areas including sustainable development and development financing, international peace and security, science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation, youth and future generations, and transforming global governance.
Each domain contains proposals ranging from restructuring how multilateral financing systems work, to securing resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to building stronger global governance centered on stronger mechanisms for conflict prevention.
They are currently in intensive negotiations and a final decision will be made at a later date. Agreement for the future It will be approved at the summit. But while the summit’s goals and overarching objectives are laudable, it is questionable whether the proposals being discussed are truly transformative.
Moreover, in relation to the above, is the international community sufficiently engaged and invested in the debate? What is the overall level of participation of the general public?
Of course, global civil society in both the North and the South has proposed a range of ideas that, if implemented, could bring about radical change.
There is no doubt that Guterres is trying to achieve something ambitious, but none of the proposals discussed at the Summit for the Future are truly groundbreaking.
Rather, they should be seen in their own right – as important steps, and as potential stepping stones towards much more radical and essential change, but unfortunately the international community still resists them.
for example, A new agenda for peaceThis should be seen as an entry point into a conversation about how we can do a better job of taming future conflicts and protecting civilians during conflicts by promoting “whole-of-society prevention” strategies as part of a package.
But even in this case, the treaty is more of a list of principles, such as a commitment to “urgently advance discussions on lethal autonomous weapon systems,” than a truly actionable proposal.
There is also a focus on strengthening mechanisms to manage conflict and build trust, which is something that cannot be ignored. But it is harder to imagine how agreement on this controversial area could be developed in a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and competition.
But there is one priority area where Guterres deserves praise: putting youth first and at the center of his plans. Notably, it is an attempt to rethink and reboot the entire decision-making system by engaging and involving youth.
But at the same time, even in this case, it is difficult to envision any real change beyond Guterres’ semi-symbolic proposal to strengthen the current way UN agencies work with young people. Declaration to future generationsA sort of charter for youth, while undoubtedly symbolically important, is not truly bold, transformative, and lacks enforcement.
Instead, what global civil society has to offer, which Guterres credits with fully engaging and engaging in future summit negotiations, is not only encouraging, but exactly what the world desperately needs.
actually People’s Compact for the FutureIt was brought together by a broad coalition of civil society organisations. We need a coalition for the United NationsThere are a lot of bold ideas out there. It’s fascinating to read about other bold solutions, such as not only establishing a UN parliament, but also creating mechanisms to involve citizens in decision-making related to the UN, including the UN Global Citizen Initiative.
By comparison, the proposals that member states are discussing in the future agreement are quite timid and not innovative or radical in any way. But the aspect that is most troubling to me is not the inevitable lack of ambition of the Guterres project.
Ultimately, it was inevitable that many of the details of implementing his vision would be constrained and limited by the complexities of international relations. What was disappointing, instead, was that a global conference so important to the future of humanity should have been radical in its engagement with world citizens.
The truth is rather grim. Despite good intentions and genuine efforts to involve civil society, there is widespread misunderstanding among the public about the entire initiative. Simply put, there is no knowledge or information about the summit and its agenda among the public.
The majority of young people who should be leading the discussions have not been properly engaged. Most of them still ignore the future summit and the negotiations around it. There is no doubt that UN country offices around the world would have been willing to participate and consult on some of the discussions.
But the scale of the initiative and the topics discussed would have required the involvement of far more young people, no matter how they dealt with the ultimately weak and flawed proposals.
The United Nations should plan and implement much more active work in terms of youth consultation and participation, in collaboration with civil society organizations in both the Global South and the Global North.
Imagine how innovative it would be to organize consultations at the school level where students could discuss priorities and come up with their own solutions. With the right political will and preparation, such an exercise could set a new benchmark in terms of innovative ways to consult and engage with young people.
I hope that the effort to organize future summits and the energy being poured into negotiating future agreements will at least break new ground in urging nations to address complex issues, and do so through a completely new, top-down approach.
Indeed, future summits may not be remembered for what they achieved. Instead, the entire process that began with our common agenda may be remembered for heralding an era in which difficult issues were addressed differently and more comprehensively.
Engaging and involving those currently excluded from decision-making, especially young people, must be a moral imperative to overcome the greatest challenges facing humanity.
This is why the enormous and far-reaching agenda that Guterres is pushing should be remembered.
Simone Galimberti I write about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), youth-centered policy making, and a stronger and better United Nations.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal Source: Inter Press Service
