Major global shocks in recent years—including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, and the triple planetary crisis, among others—have challenged our international institutions. Unity around our shared principles and common goals is crucial and urgent.
The Summit of the Future (September 2024) is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance. It will reaffirm existing commitments, including to the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Charter, and move towards a reinvigorated multilateral system better positioned to impact people’s lives positively.
The proposal for a Summit of the Future originated in the Our Common Agenda report. The report was a response by the UN Secretary-General to a call from Member States for ideas on how better to respond to current and future challenges.
The Common Agenda report called for a renewal of trust and solidarity at all levels – between peoples, countries and generations. It made the case for a fundamental rethink of our political, economic and social systems so that they deliver more fairly and effectively for everyone. It also recommended a corresponding renewal of the multilateral system, with the Summit of the Future as a defining moment to agree on the most critical improvements necessary.
Member States agreed to hold the Summit in September 2024. They also agreed that the Summit would have an outcome – a Pact for the Future.
They articulated the overarching purpose of the Summit, and the Pact:
- to reaffirm the UN Charter,
- to reinvigorate multilateralism,
- to boost implementation of existing commitments,
- to agree on solutions to new challenges, and
- to restore trust.
