The Summit of the Future
On 22-23 September 2024, world leaders gathered in New York for the Summit of the Future. The aim of the Summit of the Future was twofold:
1) Accelerate efforts to meet existing international commitments (such as the Agenda 2030)
- The achievement of the SDGs is at risk, with progress on most Goals either stagnating or falling below the 2015 baseline. The Pact for the Future aims to accelerate SDG implementation while addressing emerging challenges.
2) Take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.
The Road to the Summit
Structure of the Pact for the Future
The Pact outlines 56 actions across five areas: sustainable development, peace and security, science/technology/digital cooperation, youth/future generations, and global governance.
- Global Digital Impact, dealing with regulating artificial intelligence (AI)
- Declaration on Future Generations, dealing with how to incorporate youth in policymaking.
Why is the Pact considered transformative?
The Pact focuses on five key areas, which highlight priorities like financial inclusion, migration, culture, climate action, nuclear disarmament, and the regulation of emerging technologies. Additionally, it emphasises the importance of youth involvement and the need for reform in global governance systems to better address current challenges.
Key Areas:
• Sustainable Development: Focuses on robust financial systems for global sustainability, with emphasis on developing countries, and highlights migration, culture, and sport as key components. Key SDGs like financial inclusion and climate action are prioritised.
• Peace and Security: Recommits to nuclear disarmament, addresses space security, and regulates new technologies to prevent misuse, ensuring military spending doesn’t hinder development.
• Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Cooperation: Promotes inclusive policy-making and global digital governance to address AI risks and digital transformation.
• Youth and Future Generations: Boosts youth participation in global decision-making with new opportunities at national levels.
• Global Governance: Proposes Security Council reforms and better representation for developing countries in international financial systems.
What is next?
The global summit itself does not lead to immediate change, but it opens the door for action. The implementation of the Pact’s commitments rests with Member States, the UN system, international financial institutions, and other stakeholders. Achieving success requires a whole-of-society approach. To ensure progress, several follow-up mechanisms will be in place, including high-level reviews in 2027 and 2028, as well as key global conferences like COPs, the 4th Financing for Development conference, and the 2nd World Summit on Social Development.
Explore the full Pact for the Future here.