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World leaders gathered at the Summit of the Future in New York adopted the Pact for the Future on September 22nd, 2024, a document that includes the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations. The agreement is the result of years of negotiations and seeks to modernize international cooperation in the face of contemporary and future challenges.
It is one of the most comprehensive international commitments in recent decades, addressing new areas and issues that have lacked consensus for years. The main goal is to ensure that international institutions can fulfill their functions in a world that has changed drastically since their creation. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated in his speech: “We cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents.”
The Pact for the Future represents a strong statement of countries’ commitment to the United Nations, the international system, and international law. Leaders have established a clear vision for a more representative of today’s world, capable of fulfill its promises and integrate the expertise of governments, civil society, and other key partners. According to UN General Assembly President, Philemon Yang, the Pact “would lay the foundation for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order for all people and nations.”
The document addresses themes such as peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender equality, youth, and global governance.
In the area of peace and security, it brings the most significant commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s, seeking to increase its effectiveness and representation, with a priority on correcting Africa’s historical under-representation. It also establishes the first multilateral commitment to nuclear disarmament in over a decade and strengthens governance over outer space, preventing an arms race and ensuring safe and sustainable exploration. The document proposes measures to prevent the misuse of new technologies, such as lethal autonomous weapons, and reinforces that the laws of war must apply to these innovations.
In sustainable development, climate, and financing, the Pact reinforces the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and advocates for a reform of the international financial architecture to better serve developing countries. Among the commitments are:
The document also proposes new metrics to measure human progress beyond GDP and considers the introduction of a global minimum tax for high-net-worth individuals.
In digital cooperation, the Global Digital Compact, annexed to the Pact for the Future, represents the first comprehensive global framework for digital and artificial intelligence governance. Commitments include:
The Declaration on Future Generations introduces measures to ensure that global decisions consider their impact on future generations, including the possible creation of a UN Envoy for Future Generations. It also commits to greater youth participation in global decision-making.
Regarding human rights and gender equality, the Pact reinforces commitment to these themes, calls for the protection of human rights defenders, and encourages greater involvement of actors such as local governments, civil society, and the private sector in global governance.
To ensure the implementation of the commitments made, the Pact provides for monitoring mechanisms. Its development process was enriched by contributions from millions of voices and thousands of stakeholders worldwide.
The Summit of the Future brought together more than 4,000 participants, including heads of state, UN representatives, civil society, and non-governmental organizations. Before the formal Summit, the Action Days, held from September 20th to 21st, mobilized more than 7,000 people and resulted in significant commitments, including $1.05 billion to promote digital inclusion. With the adoption of the Pact for the Future, countries reaffirm their intent to transform global governance and address emerging challenges cooperatively and effectively.