Indian Council of World Affairs

Friends!        

Welcome to ICWA’s Curtain Raiser Seminar on the ‘UN Summit of the Future’ which is scheduled to be held on 22-23 September 2024 in New York and which Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is scheduled to address during his forthcoming visit to the US. 

We are all aware of the geopolitical shifts currently underway in the world. The international order, the global power structures are set to be revised. We have to give shape to the New World Order, the contours of which are yet not clear. Greater clarity requires greater dialogue and enhanced mutual understanding. Turbulent times also call for greater international cooperation. 

It is in this backdrop that the forthcoming UN Summit of the Future should be seen. This Summit is an effort on the part of the UN to use its amazing convening power to bring together the leaders of the world to give a boost to multilateralism, to revive multilateralism, to reinvigorate international cooperation especially when it comes to safeguarding the interests of the future generations across all areas of the UN system’s mandate and work and beyond. Such a high-level focus on the well-being of future generations, of a consciousness on our part and collective will to protect the present and the future, is unprecedented. 

The Summit is scheduled to come out with three outcome documents which are currently being negotiated: (i) A Pact for the Future; (ii) A Declaration on Future Generations; and (iii) A Global Digital Compact. All the three documents are timely and call for responsible behaviour on the part of the present generation to the best of its ability and understanding, amidst all the churning and strife today at global scale, to ensure and protect the interests of the present and future generations. The Pact for the Future, a 30-page document, has five chapters on (i) Sustainable Development and Financing for Development; (ii) International Peace and Security; (iii) Science, Technology Innovation and Digital Cooperation; (iv) Youth and Future Generations; and (v) Transforming Global Governance. The Pact is comprehensive and covers commitments and action points in all areas of UN’s work. It renews, updates and builds upon mandates of all the constituent units of the UN family. 

The Declaration on Future Generations is an aspirational document which seeks to sum up challenges faced by humanity today in its search for solutions for tomorrow. It comprises of Guiding Principles and Commitments. It reaffirms the UN Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the rule of law and that these would provide the most effective way for lasting peace and security and sustainable development and for safeguarding the interests of future generations. Importantly, it acknowledges the inter-connectedness of past, present and future and the need to learn from past achievements and failures. 

The Declaration on Future Generations talks about inter-generational dialogue, solidarity, justice and perhaps it also needs to talk about inter-generational inter-dependence. It needs to be stronger on the role of family as an essential unit of human life, living, and happiness. While it talks of demographic trends, it should express concern at the rising mortality, especially among the youth and children, due to disease or lifestyle causes as well as strife, conflict, and insecurity. It should express concern at the declining trend in population in some countries. It should recommit countries to cooperate and work towards enhanced maternal and child health care, capacity building and research in the field of medicine, and education for all. Commitments on housing for all too need to strengthen. The last draft of the document that I saw did not have paras on work and livelihood opportunities for all and trade for the welfare, security and prosperity for all. Perhaps this merits consideration. 

The Global Digital Compact seeks to build an inclusive, crime-free, terror-free digital space governed by internationally agreed norms. It seeks to tame and harness AI for the benefit of humanity through greater understanding of the technology and through regulated use. In short, it seeks human control over AI. This may well be the first time that all countries are getting together to agree on some basic principles related to AI. 

You may say that the loftier the goal, the more difficult it is to attain. However, it may also be said that it is only lofty goals that catch the imagination and effectively orient humanity’s mind-set, bring focus to the mind, and spur action. 

The draft Pact for the Future says “Today, we pledge a new beginning in multilateralism”. This is significant and noteworthy. However, at the same time, we are also conscious that if geopolitical fault-lines continue to deepen, enhanced international cooperation underpinned by an effective multilateral dialogue might not happen any time soon. Yet, we know that the Summit of the Future can be an important beginning, an important milestone, a significant step to renew international cooperation, dialogue and diplomacy. The world is better off with these commitments for action than without. 

With these words, I would now like to invite the Chair of our first session on Sustainable Development, Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, former Ambassador to Nepal and EU and former DPR of India to UN and lead climate change negotiator and presently Distinguished Fellow, TERI to take over the proceedings.

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