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During the UN summit this September, the heads of state and government adopted the Pact for the Future, which will serve as a guiding global commitment –including 56 actions – to address pressing international issues, accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and revive multilateralism. The Pact’s optimal realisation will need serious reforms both in various parts of the UN system and regional governance.
The Pact’s content
The “pact” is addressing some key global issues including the role of future generations, youth engagement and education as well as emergency platforms for perspective actions. Besides other vital documents form part of the pact: the Global Digital Compact, Reform of the International Financial Architecture, Integrity of Public Information, New Agenda for Peace (NA4P) and the reforming the UN system, the so-called “UN 2.0”.
The Pact consists of 56 actions divided into the following sectors: 1) Sustainable development and financing (with 12 actions); 2) International peace and security (with 15 actions); 3) Science, technology, innovation and digital cooperation (with 6 actions); 4) Youth and future generations (with four actions); and 5) Transforming global governance (with actions 38-56).
The pact is also supplemented by two annexes: a) on global digital compact and b) declaration on future generations.
The Pact’s effect on Europe
All five pact’s “chapters” are having serious effect on the European integration process; they will be studied in detail by politicians, economists, lawyers and social scientists. Besides, most of the UN-wide actions are oriented towards less developing countries; however, due to recently adopted Commission’s draft of perspective guidance for 2024-29 (to be adopted by the EU co-legislators this fall), there are some most vital for the actions in numerous sectors:
= Sustainable development and financing; the following actions shall be envisaged: mobilizing significant and adequate resources as well as investments from all sources for sustainable development; implement effective economic, social and environmental policies and ensure good governance and transparent institutions to advance sustainable development; accelerate efforts to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, including efforts for resilient and secure cross-border energy infrastructure, and increase substantially the share of renewable energy.
Specifically important are actions on climate mitigation by taking into account the Paris Agreement and their different national circumstances, pathways and approaches: – tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030; – accelerating efforts toward s the phase-down of unabated coal power; – accelerating efforts globally towards net zero emission energy systems, utilizing zero- and low-carbon fuels well before or by around mid-century; – transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science; – accelerating zero- and low-emission technologies, including, inter alia, renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies such as carbon capture and utilization and storage, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, and low-carbon hydrogen production; – accelerating and substantially reducing non- carbon dioxide emissions globally, including in particular methane emissions by 2030; – accelerating the reduction of emissions from road transport on a range of pathways, including through development of infrastructure and rapid deployment of zero- and low-emission vehicles; and – phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions, as soon as possible.
= Science, technology, innovation and digital cooperation. The digital and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, play a significant role as enablers of sustainable development and are dramatically changing the world. They offer huge potential for progress for the benefit of people and planet today and in the future: hence, the global community is determined to realize this potential and manage the risks through enhanced international cooperation, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and by promoting an inclusive, responsible and sustainable digital future; a Global Digital Compact is annexed to this Pact.
Among the actions in this part the following shall be mentioned: increasing the use of science, scientific knowledge and scientific evidence in policy-making and ensure that complex global challenges are addressed through interdisciplinary collaboration.
= Transforming global governance. Thus, the UN Secretary-General commissioned to convene a pre-summit High-level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, HABEM contributed to the preparation of the UN’s Summit of the Future in the part of global governance. Stefan Löfven, the president of the European Parliament’s party of socialists, was HABEM’s co-chair said that over the past year and a half the board managed to identify six transformational shifts in global governance that would help deliver on the “most urgent challenges the world is facing today in peace and security, the triple planetary crisis, growing economic inequalities, and a widening digital divide.” He added that in order to deliver the pact’s objectives, the global community needed inclusive, bold and concrete actions.
Reference to: https://pes.eu/international/pes-welcomes-the-outcome-of-the-un-summit-for-the-future/?mc_cid=7f4e2527b0&mc_eid=8e98d964af
Sustainable development is an integral part of global governance; with this in mind, the UN recognizes that sustainable development must be pursued in a balanced and integrated manner. The Pact reaffirms the need to urgently develop measures of progress on sustainable development that complement and/or go beyond the concept of gross domestic product, GDP. These measures should reflect progress on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, including in the consideration of informing access to development finance and technical cooperation.
Strengthening global governance is in line with delivering on existing commitments and addressing new and emerging challenges; specifically by encouraging contribution of the private sector to addressing global challenges and strengthening its accountability towards the implementation of United Nations frameworks.
General reference to: https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future/pact-for-the-future-revisions