New York - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The President of the United Nations General Assembly said that expectations of the death of effective diplomacy are premature, considering that the process of preparing for the future summit in New York “represents the driving force necessary to accelerate progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals.”
In his opening remarks to the Ministerial Preparatory Meeting for the Summit on the Future, Mr. Denis Francis urged those gathered to refuse to allow progress on the 2030 Agenda to be sidetracked.
He said: "Your strong participation during our deliberations today reaffirms that multilateralism is neither dead nor obsolete."
According to what was stated in the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received on Friday morning
The conference is scheduled to be held in September next year, and is considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revitalize multilateralism, address gaps in global governance, and reaffirm existing international commitments, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and commitment to the United Nations Charter.
Recent global shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the climate emergency, have put international institutions to the test, underscoring the urgent need to rally around common principles and goals.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the Future Summit is “a unique opportunity to help rebuild trust and bring outdated multilateral institutions and frameworks compatible with today’s world, on the basis of equality and solidarity.”
He stressed that it is “more than just an opportunity,” and considered it an “essential means” to reduce risks and create a safer and more peaceful world.
The Summit will build on “Our Common Agenda,” a report issued by the Secretary-General in 2021 outlining his vision for the future of international cooperation “through comprehensive, interconnected and effective multilateralism.”
The report aims to stimulate efforts towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which represent a global promise to provide a more just, equitable and greener future for all people and planet by 2030.
Although progress has been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises, the rescue plan agreed this week aims to get the goals back on track.
During the summit, countries are expected to adopt a charter for the future covering five areas: sustainable development and related financing; International peace and security; Science, technology and innovation, as well as digital cooperation; Youth and future generations; Transforming global governance.
Mr. Guterres praised countries' pledge to promote human rights, empower women and girls, and accelerate the achievement of sustainable development goals.
To support the negotiations, he published 11 policy briefs that build on the proposals contained in the “Our Common Plan” report.
He said: “The Charter for the Future will be a contract between you and your people. It represents your pledge to use all the tools at your disposal at the global level to solve problems - before those problems overwhelm us.”

In the same context, a European statement in Brussels conveyed the words of European Union Foreign Policy Coordinator Josep Borrell, which said: “The Future Summit must work to accelerate the implementation of existing agreements, including historical agreements such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, or the Montreal-Kunming Agreement on... Global biodiversity.
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda should guide our work to promote sustainable finance globally, including by promoting discussions on reform of the international financial architecture and multilateral development banks. The European Union is committed to mobilizing financing for those who need it most, including through the Global Gateway Initiative.
The more ambitious and comprehensive approach to international peace and security, set out in the Secretary-General's New Agenda for Peace, provides an opportunity to shape responses to old and new threats, especially through strengthening prevention and peacebuilding. UN peacekeeping operations may need to adapt, and require sustainable and predictable funding. We need a multilateral approach built on transparency and accountability.
We must step up action to address digital divides and protect the digital commons. The Global Digital Charter should serve as a roadmap for a human-centred digital future based on human rights. We need to harness digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We also need to take steps to protect the integrity of the information.
It is important to have fairer representation in international bodies, so we welcome the African Union taking its place as a full member of the G20. The European Union supports the comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to make it more inclusive, transparent, democratic and accountable. We believe in strengthening the voice of underrepresented regions, especially Africa.
We must incorporate the views and concerns of “youth and future generations” into our policies and decisions. This begins with the active participation of youth, which requires a willingness to listen to them and learn from them. The European Union supports the Secretary-General's ambition to issue a dedicated declaration on future generations.
All of these measures require “transforming global governance.” We must work to modernize and rejuvenate the United Nations so that it can meet new challenges, inspired by the Secretary-General’s “2.0” proposals.
Above all, human rights and the empowerment of women and girls must have their rightful place as cross-cutting elements in the Charter for the future, alongside international law and sustainable development.
Rest assured of the EU's continued support for the ambitious “Charter for the Future”: a charter for all, to ensure a better future for all.