In 2025, the Ministry for the Future, an influential global organization that advocates for the rights of future generations, convinces bankers and economists to introduce broad-based policies that will finally reverse the effects of the devastating climate crisis and create a fairer, cleaner global economy.
If that sounds like science fiction, it is: this is the plot of Kim Stanley Robinson’s influential novel The Ministry for the Futurewhich envisions such a body being established in 2015 Paris Agreement about climate change.
But perhaps it is not as strange as it seems: in September, the fate of future generations will be the focus of the UN Headquarters during the Top of the futurea milestone where world leaders pledge to secure a better future for all.
UN photo
Young people take part in International Youth Day at UN headquarters.
As part of an overarching Pact for the Future to be adopted at the Summit, Declaration on Future Generations it is expected that a hammer will be thrown through it. In addition to commitments to end inequality, achieve quality education for all and ensure long-term planning, this Declaration proposes a new addition to the UN, a Special Envoy for Future Generations, who would be tasked with advocating for better long-term thinking within the UN system and implementing the findings of the UN Futures Labthe research department of the organization.
But with so many people struggling, why is the UN considering creating a new office to represent the interests of the 10 billion people yet to be born this century?
In fact, care for future generations is enshrined in the UN Charterthe Organization’s founding document, written in 1945. Subsequently, a series of international agreements stressed the importance of considering the needs of our descendants. Moreover, almost 400 General Assembly resolutions made explicit reference to future generations.
Moreover, the concept of sustainable development itself defined as meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” but the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has argued that we “violate this principle on a daily basis”.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Young people attending the Education Financing Congress will be allowed to vote at UN headquarters.
Young people need a seat at the table
Mr Guterres was careful to point out that this does not mean neglecting the needs of those alive today. In fact, “upholding the rights and meeting the needs of those alive today is a prerequisite for securing a better future,” he said. writes.
The UN chief has also made it clear that young people – who are often told that she are the future, implying that they will have to clean up the mess created by today’s leaders – “should not bear the burden of standing up for our descendants, but they do deserve a separate and dedicated place at the table.”
Ensuring that today’s youth have a greater say in decisions that affect them has been at the forefront of UN policy for over a decade. A UN Youth Envoy has worked to coordinate the inclusion of youth voices at major international events and is helping the entire UN system work with and for youth.
In December 2023, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed the first-ever Under-Secretary-General for Youth, tasked with strengthening youth engagement in areas such as sustainable development, human rights, and peace and security.
A day of youth action
Felipe Paullier, former director general of the National Youth Institute of Uruguay, is the first seated speaker. He says he wants to do everything he can to ensure that the Summit of the Future addresses many issues that are important to young people.
The voices of young people will frame the Summit: a youth-led Day of action On Friday 20 September, the iconic General Assembly Hall will host a gathering of activists, celebrities, musical performances and dialogues with Mr Paullier and Mr Guterres. On Monday 23 September, the Trusteeship Council Chamber will host an interactive dialogue on how to improve the global system for current and future generations.