Pact for the Future

The Summit of the Future was a high-level United Nations event held on September 22–23, 2024, in New York. During the summit, world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future, which includes the Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations aiming to modernize international cooperation to tackle current and future global challenges.

The Pact for the Future and its annexes set out a clear and ambitious path to modernize global governance, accelerate progress on sustainable development, and strengthen international cooperation. It brings together concrete actions across five key areas:

Sustainable development and financing for development

• The Pact is designed to turbocharge implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The most detailed UN agreement ever on reforming the international financial architecture, including:
  – greater voice and representation for developing countries in international financial institutions (IFIs);
  – more financing from multilateral development banks;
  – a review of sovereign debt systems to ensure sustainable borrowing;
  – a stronger financial safety net to protect the poorest during crises.
• Strong commitments on climate action, including:
  – keeping global temperature rise below 1.5°C;
  – transitioning away from fossil fuels to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
• A commitment to explore a global minimum tax on high-net-worth individuals.

International peace and security

• The most progressive and concrete commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s, including steps to redress the underrepresentation of Africa.
• The first multilateral recommitment to nuclear disarmament in more than a decade.
• Agreement to strengthen international frameworks that govern outer space, including a clear commitment to prevent an arms race in space.
• Steps to avoid the weaponization and misuse of new technologies, including lethal autonomous weapons, and reaffirming that the laws of war apply to emerging domains.
• A stronger emphasis on prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes:
  – intensifying diplomacy and mediation;
  – revitalizing tools for pacific settlement;
  – supporting the Secretary-General’s good offices.
• Concrete measures to protect civilians and safeguard humanitarian access in armed conflict – including restricting or refraining, as appropriate, from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and protecting humanitarian and media personnel.
• Commitments to build and sustain peace:
  – reducing all forms of violence;
  – tackling racism and intolerance;
  – financing prevention and peacebuilding;
  – addressing risks from disinformation and illicit arms flows.

Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation

• A commitment to scale up support for developing countries – through technology transfer on favourable terms, capacity-building, financing, and stronger North–South, South–South and triangular cooperation – so they can harness science, technology and innovation for sustainable development.
• Ensuring science, technology and innovation contribute to the full enjoyment of human rights – with safeguards for ethics, accountability and protection against misuse, and with benefits reaching those in vulnerable situations, including through assistive technologies for persons with disabilities.
• A pledge to close the gender digital divide and ensure that women and girls have equal opportunities to participate in and lead science, technology and innovation, while addressing technology-related risks such as online violence and discrimination.
• In addition, the Global Digital Compact, annexed to the Pact, is the first comprehensive global framework for digital governance. It includes commitments to:
  – connect all people, schools and hospitals to the Internet;
  – anchor digital governance in human rights and international law;
  – make the digital space safe for all, especially children;
  – govern artificial intelligence (AI), including through an international scientific panel and a global policy dialogue, as the first such global agreement on cooperation for AI governance;
  – promote open and accessible data, models and standards;
  – advance national and international data governance by 2030.

Youth and future generations

• A strong commitment to expand meaningful youth participation, especially in global-level decision-making.
• Investment in children and young people so they can reach their full potential – through access to education, health, decent work and social protection, including a proposal for a Global Youth Investment Platform.
• A pledge to protect the human rights of all young people:
  – combating discrimination and violence;
  – promoting inclusion;
  – addressing the impacts of climate change and environmental challenges on youth.
• Adoption of the first-ever Declaration on Future Generations, including concrete steps to embed long-term thinking into today’s policymaking.

Transforming global governance

• Renewed emphasis on human rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of women and girls across all areas of the Pact.
• A clear call to protect human rights.
• Strong signals on the importance of inclusive governance, involving civil society, the private sector, and local and regional authorities.
• A push to rethink how we measure progress, moving beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to include well-being and sustainability.
• A stronger, more future-ready UN system:
  – boosting capabilities in innovation, data, digital transformation and strategic foresight;
  – ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities;
  – securing adequate, predictable financing.
• Strengthened international cooperation for the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space – reaffirming the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, addressing space traffic and debris, and encouraging inclusive participation in governance.

https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sotf-pact_for_the_future_adopted.pdf

Global Digital Compact

Objectives:

To achieve our goal, they implemented the following objectives:

1. Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals;
2. Expand inclusion in and benefits from the digital economy for all;
3. Foster an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space that respects, protects and promote human rights;
4. Advance responsible, equitable and interoperable data governance approaches;
5. Enhance international governance of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity

https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sotf-pact_for_the_future_adopted.pdf#page=43

That motion was adopted by a recorded vote of 143 in favour to 7 against (Belarus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Sudan, Syria), with 15 abstentions.

Canada was represented by Justin Trudeau who delivered a statement affirming Canada’s support for the pact and its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In one sentence, bring a New World Order, so the one world totalitarian technocratic government.

DB