“Today and with future generations, we need greater global solidarity, better governance of critical issues of global concern, and an improved United Nations capable of meeting the challenges of a new era,” he told the UN meeting. Summit of the Future Global Call eventwhich emphasizes that the current institutions cannot keep up with the changing times.
During the historic summit, member states are expected to conclude negotiations before reaching the Pact for the futurewhich aims to map out a path to achieve the objectives Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. It will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
The SDGs are an internationally agreed set of goals to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people live in peace and prosperity by 2030.
Although the summit is only days away, scheduled for September 22 and 23, it has taken years of effort to get to this point, Mr Guterres said.
‘Stuck in a time machine’
Today’s challenges are evolving far too quickly to be solved with current tools, due to outdated institutions “designed for another era and another world,” the UN chief warned.
“The Security Council “We are stuck in a time machine, the international financial architecture is outdated and ineffective and we are simply not equipped to deal with a wide range of emerging issues,” he said.
Mr Guterres stressed that the continuing violent conflicts in the world, the growing geopolitical divisions, the rise of populism and extremism and the poverty crisis are among the most pressing issues at a time when the Sustainable Development Goals are moving further and further out of reach.
“The challenges of the 21st century require 21st century problem-solving institutions,” he stressed, adding that the summit also provides an opportunity to reform the Security Council and the international financial architecture.
Calls for ‘vision, courage, solidarity’
To achieve the summit’s goals, the UN chief calls on member states to “act swiftly, with vision, courage, solidarity and a spirit of compromise” to get the three draft agreements “over the finish line”.
He praised the UN as a unique platform to bring together key stakeholders, especially in times of global unrest.
It also stressed the need to address the changing nature of warfare, manage the risks of new technologies and recognise the ongoing climate crisis as a ‘threat multiplier of insecurity’.
“I call on all governments to ensure that they are as ambitious as possible to restore the hope and confidence we need to address the dramatic challenges of our time with a new global consensus,” he urged.
The ‘Global Call’
At the live eventMr Guterres was accompanied by the President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, and the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, as co-facilitators of the preparatory process.
Both President Mbumba and Chancellor Scholz helped promote the event as an opportunity to hear the voices of Member States at the highest political level about their ambitions for the Pact for the Future and the Summit, while reiterating their own hopes for the next generations.
“The Summit should be a platform for bold ideas and concrete commitments that will revitalize the UN and multilateralism for the 21st century,” said President Mbumba.
“We are at the crossroads between collapse and breakthrough. I am confident that we will make the right choice,” President Scholz said, adding that it is time to show the world that “there is much more that unites us than divides us.”
