A/79/PV.5 General Assembly
The meeting was called to order at 9.05.am.
123. Strengthening of the United Nations system
Delegations are reminded that statements should be limited to five minutes for participating States and three minutes for other statements. Pursuant to rule 72 of the rules of procedure, when a representative exceeds her or his allotted time, the President shall call the speaker to order without delay, which will be done by means of automatic microphone cut-off. In accordance with resolution 72/313, the “all protocol observed” principle is recommended, whereby participants are encouraged to refrain from the listing of standard protocol expressions during their statements.
Within that time frame, I would like to appeal to speakers to deliver their statements at a reasonable pace so that interpretation into the other official United Nations languages may be provided properly.
The list of speakers for each meeting shall be completed and no speakers will be rolled over to the next meeting. Speakers who are not present when their speaking turn comes will be automatically moved to the next available speaking slot within their category at the same meeting.
Address by Mr. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola
I invite His Excellency Mr. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, to address the Assembly.
President Lourenço (spoke in Portuguese; interpretation provided by the delegation): I have the honour to take the floor at this important Summit, which I consider to be crucial for our joint consideration of the best strategies to help us
I greet Secretary-General António Guterres and offer him my warmest congratulations on meeting the challenge of holding the Summit of the future.
I take this opportunity to highlight with appreciation the exemplary work carried out by the Republic of Namibia and the Federal Republic of Germany in co-facilitating the negotiation process for the adoption of the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). We hope that by holding this Summit, we will be able to find multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow.
The adoption of the Pact for the Future represents, without a shadow of a doubt, a real turning point for a more dynamic, committed, engaged and assertive approach to issues that are important to humankind. It is our conviction that the political commitment we have made here will make a decisive contribution to the world’s ability to gather the resources necessary to finance sustainable development and efforts to build a new architecture for peace, with the defence of human rights, gender equality and the imperative of leaving no one behind at the centre of our approach.
In implementing that global road map, we cannot ignore young people and women, who are vital drivers for the transformation and modernization of humankind. As we can all see, the Pact for the Future offers an opportunity for the more active, meaningful and effective participation of young people and women in decision-making at all levels.
In our quest to build a sustainable future for all, we must also make it an important point to step up the fight for the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, which is the greatest global challenge of our time and an indispensable requirement for achieving sustainable development, food security, access to energy, digital connectivity, education, employment and social protection. We cannot achieve our common ambitions for the future and face that great challenge without putting the poorest and most vulnerable people at the heart of our actions and ensuring that no human being or country is left behind.
In the field of peace and security, we must evolve towards an architecture of peace in which the principle of shared security is defended and protected by all, so that no citizen of a State, region or geographical area is protected at the expense of the security of others. The Republic of Angola argues that it is not possible to build a balanced, safe and sustainable world in which dignity and access to opportunities are the exclusive assets of a small group of privileged people, to the detriment of the majority of the world’s population.
We also champion the need to reach consensus on the reform of the global financial architecture and the global sovereign debt architecture, which is crucial if we are to have a fairer international financial system that is also capable of meeting the interests of developing countries. Angola has recently made a decisive and responsible commitment to the issue of the economy’s transition to the digitalization of all processes that involve it. We are convinced that by taking that step, we will bring our populations and institutions closer to one another and make them more connected to the most modern mechanisms of global interconnection of the economy and trade, thereby reducing the geographical barriers imposed by the traditional economy.
I would like to end by expressing my views —
I thank the President of the Republic of Angola for the statement he has just made.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, to address the Assembly.
President Pavel: I am grateful to address this audience and express my gratitude to the Secretary-General and his team, who started one of the most important processes of our time focused on revitalizing multilateralism.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is our common goal and road map for sustainable development. Now, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate its implementation. The Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) creates a solid basis for a better and more effective multilateral system, and we stand ready to work together with other delegations on ensuring the Summit’s successful follow-up.
In order to find the right way forward, we need to know and understand the challenges that threaten our future. Let me clearly state that the Russian aggression — an aggression by a country that is a permanent member of the Security Council — against sovereign Ukraine represents a singular challenge shaking the very core of the international system and the fundamental principles of the United Nations.
But addressing one challenge does not diminish the urgency of others. We are aware of the suffering caused by wars and conflicts, the life-threatening disasters aggravated by climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, the slow progress in achieving sustainable development and pervasive violations and abuses of human rights. Those challenges are connected. No country is immune to them and no country can address them on its own. Let me now highlight two specific points.
First, I welcome the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I). It outlines a common vision and intent to promote realistic international cooperation in the context of digital technologies worldwide and presents a joint understanding of some core principles. Czechia will play an active role in that regard. Digital transformation cannot serve to the benefit every individual without a human-centric and human- rights based approach to the challenges that lie ahead.
The potential of today’s emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence or biotech, is enormous. They will surely contribute to finding solutions to many of today’s challenges. At the same time, greater technological dependence creates greater vulnerabilities. Therefore, I recently co-sponsored the launch of the Prague GeoTech summit, to be held every year at the GLOBSEC Forum. Its aim is to foster dialogue among business, academia and Government to contribute to our shared understanding of how to handle technology safely on a daily basis and protect ourselves against its misuse by malign actors, be they individuals, groups or States.
My second point concerns climate change. The current climate crisis and its far-reaching implications must be addressed in a comprehensive and integrated way through enhanced and effective multilateralism. The recent floods in Central Europe, probably the worst in decades, are a clear reminder of the growing threat of climate-induced weather events. Czechia will continue to advocate for a stronger global response. Addressing climate change is more than one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, because climate change is a threat multiplier with the potential to worsen some of humankind’s greatest challenges, such as poverty, hunger or health. We are ready to work with all international partners to ensure the successful outcome of the next Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in November in Baku. Through our bilateral and multilateral development assistance, we implement a wide range of climate-related projects to help partner countries mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
To conclude, I wish to confirm that Czechia joins others in demanding a tangible reform of the United Nations system. Czechia will also continue to pay its regular budget contributions to the United Nations in full and on time and urges others to meet their financial obligations, as well to ensure that the United Nations can carry out its mandates —
I thank the President of the Czech Republic for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Transitional President of Gabon and Chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions
I invite His Excellency Mr. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Transitional President of Gabon and Chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, to address the Assembly.
President Oligui Nguema (spoke in French): On this special occasion, I would like to take the opportunity to express my encouragement to you, Mr. President, and to all Member States for the convening of this important Summit during the General Assembly’s high-level week.
Like all those who have spoken before me, I want to thank the co-facilitators of the negotiations for the success of these meetings.
Since I took office, the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions has demonstrated its desire not only to restore the fundamental rights of citizens, but also to implement significant reforms aimed at improving their living conditions while respecting our international commitments. That inclusive process is a promise of hope that necessarily involves transparent and responsible governance, thereby strengthening trust between peoples and leaders. That spirit of national restoration does not undermine our attachment to multilateralism, which we consider to be an essential lever for world peace.
In terms of peace and security, it is clear to all that the Security Council must reform itself to adapt to the realities and demands of the moment. Africa, which is the scene of deplorable conflict, must also take an active part in those reforms. To achieve that effectively, I believe it essential to reform the global financial architecture by investing massively in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
With a view to leaving no country behind, all must have equitable access to the necessary financial resources. That will require debt relief and concessional financing opportunities, such as compensation for the preservation of our forests or the debt-for-nature swap. International solidarity also requires scientific and technological cooperation that promotes access to scientific data and the transfer of new technologies.
More than half of the Gabonese population is under 20 years old, which poses an ongoing challenge to leaders on issues of the future. I therefore welcome with satisfaction our commitment to the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) to significantly strengthen the participation of young people at the international level. Such a commitment requires a substantial investment in the development of an
I emphasize that the Pact for the Future is fully empowered by a surge of solidarity, concrete actions and pragmatism. In its calm march towards happiness, my country, Gabon, is committed to playing its part.
I thank the Transitional President of Gabon and Chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland
I invite His Excellency Mr. Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland, to address the Assembly.
President Duda: At the outset, let me thank the Secretary-General for his initiative to convene this Summit and all the countries that facilitated the negotiations of its documents. We believe that the Summit provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of current structures in addressing key global challenges.
We all can see significant shifts in international relations. The order based on international law and solidarity, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, is under serious threat. The global multilateral system has become in many ways dysfunctional and needs to be reformed. We cannot accept that those who challenge the order based on the United Nations Charter are gaining strength.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a striking example. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia should uphold the United Nations Charter and international law. However, by attacking a sovereign State, it has relinquished that responsibility. Consequently, Russia can no longer claim to be safeguarding the security of the international system and that of other nations.
We must strive to improve the efficiency of the United Nations system. In order to restore faith in multilateralism and maintain peace and security, it is necessary to strengthen international law. Despite many reservations about the United Nations system, there is no better alternative to multilateralism. Today’s global challenges are complex and require collective action, as individual States cannot address them alone. Commitment to multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, is a cornerstone of Polish foreign policy. We are determined to defend the United Nations Charter and its principles. We advocate for fair global governance and the reinforcement of international cooperation across the key pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, development and human rights.
We are pleased that the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) addresses the strengthening and promotion of the three pillars of United Nations activity in peace and security, development and human rights, as well as respect for the United Nations Charter and international law. It identifies the actions needed to achieve the ambitious goals related to strengthening the multilateral system and achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It is necessary to ensure the adequate participation of women in global governance and to take into account the perspectives of the younger generation. At the same time, issues related to aging populations and the expectations of younger generations remain equally challenging.
We are aware that the outcome of the Summit must reconcile various perspectives and ambitions. We are ready to work together to achieve ambitious results and fully implement the Pact for the Future in the coming years.
Address by Mr. Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azin, Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador
I invite His Excellency Mr. Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azin, Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador, to address the Assembly.
President Noboa Azin (spoke in Spanish): Global decisions and commitments must always be defined by the presence and contribution of those who build tomorrow today — young people. As a young President, I feel the responsibility of representing and transmitting our aspiration and desire that the Pact of the Future (resolution 79/1) will fulfil the promise of ensuring a resilient, sustainable and inclusive future.
We must confront the alarming growth rates of youth unemployment with public and private investment, since the allocation of appropriately focused resources will allow us to offer greater access to education at all levels and modalities, as well as conditions with better job opportunities. Only in that way can we keep them out of the hands of the crime, drugs and transnational organized criminals that are currently plaguing us.
In Ecuador, we are creating concrete and real opportunities for young people to have alternatives that dignify and improve their living conditions, those of their families and those of Ecuadorian society through comprehensive public policies, scholarships and financial incentives. I have made decisions that have given us hope, because that is the way to build an environment of security and peace. It guarantees that each young person can contribute to economic, social and environmental development for a better future for our society. If we do not give our young people a country of peace, what future are we talking about? I therefore reaffirm before this world forum Ecuador’s commitment to peace, for which it is essential to promote multilateral and United Nations mechanisms that confront the multidimensional crises and new global threats that destabilize regions, erode democracy and the rule of law and reduce opportunities to achieve the well-being of our citizens, especially our young.
There is an indissoluble link between peace and development. Violence and insecurity are often associated with instability, lack of opportunity and resources. Recognizing that interrelation is essential to develop effective strategies that comprehensively address economic inequalities and security problems. Our voluntary national review, submitted to the United Nations two months ago, revealed that six targets of Sustainable Development Goal 16, “Peace, justice and strong institutions”, generate synergies with 125 targets in the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I offer special thanks to Sariha Moya for her assistance and tireless work in that regard. That correlation confirms that advancing peace and justice is crucial to the comprehensive success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, demonstrating the close link between peace and stability and sustainable development.
Ecuador, committed to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, has aligned its National Development Plan with the SDGs and made significant progress in reducing poverty, combating child malnutrition and contributing to environmental protection. Today Ecuador reaffirms its commitment to continuing to cooperate closely with all countries of the world and to transforming the Pact for the Future, adopted yesterday, into a reality.
I also wish to make a special observation to help us understand what is happening in our nations, what is happening in Latin America, and what is happening in African countries. We have a young population. In Ecuador, 40 per cent of the population is between 14 and 35 years of age, and if we do not resolve the basic needs and
I thank the Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic
I invite His Excellency Mr. Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic, to address the Assembly.
President Pellegrini: Slovakia, as one of the co-founders of the United Nations system, is and remains a long-term and consistent advocate of multilateralism and international cooperation. We welcome the adoption of the Pact for the Future and its annexes, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1). It is a long-needed success of multilateralism. My gratitude goes to the co-facilitators for their work and also to the Secretary-General for his vision, which guided and shaped the Summit.
By next year, 80 years will have passed since the Bretton Woods Conference, which changed the way of global governance. We know that what used to take centuries or millenniums now takes decades or even years. In plain speech, many changes come more often and much faster than in the past. But we also live in a world with the highest number of conflicts and humanitarian crises. We are seeing unprecedented numbers of refugees and growing climate change impacts, too. What was considered best-in-class for most industries 10 years ago is now slower than the average. If that applies to business, why would it not apply to international cooperation? We can afford no more senseless exchanges of the kinds we have had on climate change. We need to reflect on facts instead of denying them.
One of the most positive features of our time is huge data collection. Together with rising artificial intelligence technology, it gives us the power to see and do things based on facts and science. The flip side is the spread of disinformation and lies. Our policies have to reflect the fact that our lives are being increasingly transferred to the digital space. Our online identities have become as important as our physical identities. We need to create conditions of what I call digital humanism — defining the rights and obligations of the virtual world and, equally important, tools for their enforcement. We need to ensure that the rules of the online world mirror the rules of our physical world.
Online threats and dangers are no less real than their offline versions. Words and deeds in the virtual world can be even more destructive because they reach a much broader audience. Expressing opinions in digital space should not be restricted, but it should be guided by principles similar to those we already apply outside the internet — full responsibility and clear identity. Let us not confuse such rules with harm to the freedom of speech. Every freedom requires accountability.
We do not know what the future holds for us, but what we do know is that the pace of change will not get any slower. We also know that education, inclusion, investing in our youth and reducing the digital divide play a vital role in bracing for our digital future.
We do not get to choose in which part of the world we are born. Everyone deserves an equal starting line with digital technologies. Today they provide access to information, higher economic growth and fairer social conditions — the way to a better life. Access to digital tools should be determined not by money alone but by
We are on a steady road to an increasingly unstable world full of repeated crises. The global challenges are urgent and complex, and so must be our decision-making. Of course, a stronger, more effective and reformed multilateral system is to be desired, but we can also manage with the institutions and mechanisms that we already have in place. We need to invest more in respectful, practical and results- oriented cooperation, just as we did with the Pact. It is also a way to reduce the mistrust among United Nations Members and institutions. I consider the Pact for the Future to be a stepping stone of adaptation, not the end of the journey. There are many tasks ahead.
I thank the President of the Slovak Republic for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland
I invite His Excellency Mr. Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland, to address the Assembly.
President Stubb: There are a lot of cynics outside of the Hall who are probably thinking, “What is this Pact for the Future?” I actually disagree with them. I think this is an extremely good Pact. Why? Because in many ways, it shows the difference between multilateralism, compromise and cooperation versus multipolarity and disorder.
In many ways, I think that we are witnessing the 1920, 1945 or 1989 moment of history. We remember that in 1920 the League of Nations was a good idea, but it was not able to sustain peace at the end of the day. In 1945, 79 years ago, when the United Nations was founded, it was a success. Why? Because we pooled sovereignty and tried to find common solutions to common problems. And I think that the adoption yesterday of the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) shows that the United Nations works.
I have two questions today. The first one is: What is the paradox of our times? And the second one is: Why do we need to reform the United Nations right now?
Now, the paradox of our time is that precisely at the moment when we need multilateral cooperation, we are reverting to multipolar, transactional disorder. Let us take a look at where it is taking us. We are not achieving our Sustainable Development Goals. We are not achieving our targets in the climate crisis and we are witnessing four major wars being waged simultaneously in Ukraine, Palestine, the Sudan and, of course. Syria. I am really worried. The problem is that we have a whole bunch of global goods — such as climate change technology, sustainable development, immigration — and conflicts that we cannot solve without the United Nations. I actually think that the Pact for the Future gives us a lot of answers.
My second question is: Why do we need reform now? A lot of those people who bash the United Nations often bash us here in New York because we are not achieving political results. To a certain extent they are right, but they forget that there is a part of the United Nations that works, and that is the agencies in Geneva. Of course, the main task of the Security Council is to preserve peace. Let us be honest — it has failed to do so. The Security Council, in my mind, does not reflect the world of today. Why? Because there is no representation from Latin America, there is no representation from Africa, and there is only one country from Asia. The thing is, if
On Wednesday — and I guess repetition is the mother of all wisdom — I will make three proposals for the reform of the Security Council. The first is to expand it by five members: one from Latin America, two from Africa and two from Asia. My second proposal is that the veto power of all permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council should be scrapped. My third proposal is that if a member of the Security Council blatantly violates the Charter of the United Nations, its voting rights in the Council should be suspended. Is that a realistic proposal?
In conclusion, I come from a very small country, Finland. We lost 10 per cent of our territory to the Soviet Union in the Second World War, but our success, as one of the poorest countries in Europe that is now managing quite well, is linked to the United Nations. I therefore understand the meaning of the United Nations and multilateral cooperation. The Pact for the Future gives us many good answers. Let us start implementing it.
I thank the President of the Republic of Finland for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of the Republic of Latvia
I invite His Excellency Mr. Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of the Republic of Latvia, to address the Assembly.
President Rinkēvičs: The world is changing, bringing new opportunities and challenges to our societies. We need to be ready to adapt to the new realities. That is why we are here — for our joint commitment to effective global cooperation; for our road map to collective action, the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1).
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Germany and Namibia for their leadership in steering the negotiations towards that ambitious outcome.
Effective multilateralism is essential in an increasingly interconnected world. Global challenges — from climate change and pandemics to conflict and inequality — go far beyond national borders. The United Nations has a key role to play in tackling those challenges. The increase of threats to international peace and security is of particular concern. Building on the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, we need a new approach to the evolving security landscape.
Achieving sustainable development for all and leaving no one behind are commitments we made back in 2015. The overall progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is too slow. We must be more decisive and bolder in our commitment to those goals. Allow me to highlight a few points.
Digital and emerging technologies can help us to reach our goal of a sustainable future. The Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I) is our path to inclusive digital transformation, where human rights are at the centre. Our commitment to combatting climate change and sea level rise must be carried out. For some countries, it is a matter of peace and security; for others, a question of existence.
Gender equality and the empowerment of women are a requirement for sustainable development. Latvia is a strong advocate for the women and peace and security agenda, focusing especially on the elimination of war-related sexual violence.
The full and meaningful participation of young people in decision-making is important. We must listen to them and deliver on our commitment to protecting the generations to come.
If we deliver on those commitments and the Pact for the Future, it will echo through generations. Latvia is prepared to work towards a safe, equitable and sustainable future. Our commitment to the international rules-based order is also driving our bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council at the 2025 elections.
I thank the President of the Republic of Latvia for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan
I invite His Excellency Mr. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, to address the Assembly.
President Rahmon (spoke in Tajik; interpretation provided by the delegation): First of all, I extend my sincere gratitude to the Secretary-General for his commendable initiative in organizing the Summit of the Future, as well as for his gracious invitation to partake in this important Summit.
We highly appreciate the diligent efforts of the co-facilitators of the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), the representatives of Germany and Namibia.
This meeting serves as a valuable platform for the review of such critical issues as climate change, the safeguarding of public health, poverty alleviation, the enhancement of women’s living conditions, inclusive education and other pressing global challenges. Furthermore, matters pertaining to disarmament, arms control and modern threats and challenges to peace and security continue to demand earnest consideration. It is anticipated that today’s meeting will serve the significant function of addressing issues pertinent to the reform of the international financial architecture and enhancing the global response to modern threats and challenges.
The inclusion of the climate and water agendas in the outcome document underscores the imperative need for sustained and urgent action by Member States and other stakeholders to secure a peaceful and sustainable future for generations to come. According to the latest data from the United Nations, while there have been some improvements, progress in the field of water and sanitation remains lagging. Therefore, we are committed to enhancing our collaborative efforts with other nations to advance other constructive initiatives aimed at addressing water resource management and climate change. The ongoing implementation of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028, exemplifies our unwavering dedication to those critical issues.
The adoption of the Pact for the Future as a forward-looking outcome of this Summit aligns with the pressing reality that millions of civilians across diverse regions of the globe are vulnerable to a multitude of security threats. The actions of the United Nations in the light of the swiftly evolving dynamics on the international arena underscored the necessity for nations worldwide to enhance their multilateral relationships. The international community can achieve success solely through dialogue and constructive collaboration aimed at addressing modern risks and challenges. Strengthening cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is fundamentally reliant on collaborative efforts aimed at ensuring lasting
Tajikistan, in its capacity as host nation of the Dushanbe counter-terrorism process, welcomes the incorporation of that critical issue into the Pact, alongside other significant matters. We must enhance international cooperation, facilitate the exchange of information and strengthen capacity-building efforts to effectively counter the rise of terrorism, extremism and other global manners. We reaffirm our commitment to the pivotal coordinating role of the United Nations in that endeavour.
Today we stand at a critical juncture as we face an alarming rise in conflict across the globe, leading to unimaginable suffering and hundreds of thousands of lives lost among innocent civilians. As Heads of State, we must come, united by our shared vision for a world free from the ravages of war. Let us commit to a collective effort to forge a lasting peace, alleviate human suffering and prevent the terrible consequences of conflicts.
It is high time to take decisive action to empower the United Nations and its vital mission in conflict resolution and to restore peace and stability to our planet. Together, we can create a brighter future for all. In that context, I respectfully propose the adoption of a special resolution by the United Nations, to be entitled “Decade of the promotion of peace for future generations”. Furthermore, it is imperative that the United Nations, along with agencies and international and regional financial institutions, intensify their efforts to coordinate the actions of the international community in pursuit of sustainable development. I am confident that the deliberations at today’s Summit will establish a solid ground for addressing the pressing challenges of our time.
I thank the President of the Republic of Tajikistan for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Alessandro Rossi and Ms. Milena Gasperoni, Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino
Notwithstanding the provisions of decision 79/504 of 13 September, I invite His Excellency Mr. Alessandro Rossi and Her Excellency Ms. Milena Gasperoni, Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino, to address the Assembly.
Captain Regent Rossi and Captain Regent Gasperoni: The Republic of San Marino expresses deep concern about the armed conflicts that are still ongoing around the world. We are now witnessing the highest number of wars since 1945, and the resulting devastating crises, such as the worsening humanitarian refugee crisis, bring every State face to face with its responsibilities.
Eighty years after the Second World War, during which the Republic of San Marino offered hospitality to over 100,000 refugees, our country has once again renewed its concrete solidarity with and strong humanitarian commitment in favour of hundreds of Ukrainian citizens. The Republic of San Marino has taken in over 400 Ukrainian refugees, representing more than 1 per cent of the entire San Marino population, thanks to the solidarity of public and private institutions and non-governmental organizations and with the help of many volunteers.
Together with the refugee crisis, the impact of conflicts may lead to a global food crisis. In its capacity as promoter of resolution 74/209, establishing 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, San Marino firmly believes that combating food loss and waste will help promote food security and welcomes all initiatives aimed at raising awareness of such responsible behaviour.
The importance of dialogue and its relevance in democratic and inclusive societies are the basis for the Plan of Action to Combat Violent Extremism and the radicalization that leads to terrorism. The Republic of San Marino still remembers the outstanding work carried out by the late diplomat Guido Bellatti Ceccoli with regard to the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue, which made our country an important point of reference on that subject and led to the opening in the Republic of a place of prayer and meditation for different types of spirituality.
The Republic of San Marino is convinced that this historically important Summit and its final declaration, the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), whose principles are fully shared by our country, will give new impetus to the entire multilateral system and to international cooperation in general, strengthening the United Nations institutions so that it may continue to represent a beacon for the protection of peace and human rights. Indeed, in the case of small States, international law is seen as the one and only safeguard in the event of a threat to their existence, and multilateral forums represent a valuable megaphone to make heard their voices, which would otherwise remain unheard. Within international forums, San Marino has always contributed to highlighting the role that small States can play as facilitators of dialogue and promoters of peace.
The Summit of the Future will pave the way towards actions leading to a safe, peaceful, fair, equal and sustainable world, and our Republic will actively contribute to the search for collective solutions for a future of peace and dialogue, a better and more sustainable future for us and for future generations, in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations.
I thank the Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino for the statement they have just made.
Address by Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus
I invite His Excellency Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, to address the Assembly.
President Christodoulides: Last year’s Sustainable Development Goal Summit marked the beginning of a new phase as we collectively committed to accelerating progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We reaffirmed our commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as our primary framework for addressing the multifaceted crises facing humankind.
This year is another pivotal moment, as we should reinvigorate global efforts to secure a sustainable future for all. Climate change, inequality and conflict are only some of the multiple challenges the world faces today. Addressing them requires leadership and transformative action.
The intergovernmental negotiations on the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1) have revealed the extent of our perspectives. However, it is precisely that diversity and the bridging of different views, understandings and expectations that are the true strength of multilateralism. I welcome the adoption of the Pact and commend the dedication of all who contributed to it, primarily that of the co-facilitators. I truly believe that we
As we move beyond the Summit, Cyprus is ready to work alongside our partners in fostering collaboration among Governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector. In this interconnected world, networked multilateralism is essential. As a member of the European Union and the Group of Asia-Pacific States, and with strong ties to the small island developing States, Cyprus has a unique position and stands as a bridge between regions and perspectives. That vantage point equips us to better understand and address the concerns of our counterparts in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and beyond. For Cyprus, climate change is not a distant threat; it is a reality. Droughts, rising sea levels and extreme weather events affect our livelihoods and communities daily. We therefore welcome the growing global commitment to addressing those urgent issues, as reflected in the Pact for the Future. As a small island State, we are committed to working together alongside all United Nations Member States to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights on an equal footing. In that spirit of commitment, Cyprus has put forward its candidacy for the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2025-2027. Our focus will be on advancing the human rights of all, with particular attention to children, women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. We will also promote cultural dialogue to bridge divides and combat discrimination. My country stands ready to continue collaborating with all United Nations Member States not only to defend human rights but also to take concrete actions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Together, we have the power and the responsibility to turn those ambitions into reality and ensure that future generations inherit a world defined by justice, sustainability and peace.
Ms. Rasata (Madagascar), Vice-President, took the Chair.
I thank the President of the Republic of Cyprus for the statement he has just made.
Address by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco
I invite His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, to address the Assembly.
Prince Albert (spoke in French): I thank Secretary-General António Guterres for convening this Summit, which offers us a unique opportunity to discuss together the future we want not only for our children but also for our planet, our only home. By making a firm commitment to implementing the 56 actions of the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), we are laying solid foundations of a renewed partnership for a better, more just, equitable and prosperous world for all.
Moreover, the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1, annex II) provides us with the tools necessary to offer our young people the opportunity to fully flourish in a healthy and harmonious environment, while making them the driving force of change and the builders of the future. Security threats, including conflicts, terrorism and transnational organized crime, impact the stability and hinder the development of our societies. Peace is our most precious asset, without which it is impossible to ensure access to the most fundamental human rights. Without it, we cannot undertake anything sustainable and effective for the benefit of our populations. Restoring peace and security is therefore a collective and urgent responsibility.
Members know the importance that I attach to the unifying power of sport, which is far too often underestimated. Sport is a common language that facilitates rapprochement among peoples and cultures and erases social barriers. The General Assembly may rest assured that my country will continue to work to ensure that the contribution of sport to peace and inclusive social development is recognized at its true value within United Nations bodies.
We are committed to mitigating the potential risks associated with the misuse of digital technologies. It is therefore now up to us to establish the appropriate standards that impose the ethical use of those technologies in full respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of each person. We must also ensure that their use cannot be diverted for illicit purposes. To that end, we can only welcome the adoption of the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I)) .
This Summit is a crucial step for the multilateral system. It offers us the opportunity to rethink multilateralism, to make it more capable of meeting current and future global challenges and to reduce the deficit of trust in international bodies. That is why I believe it essential to accelerate our efforts to reform the governance of our institutions with the aim of making them more inclusive and representative of current realities.
The multidimensional crises we are facing are causing a considerable delay in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, we have the necessary tools — be they legal, technological or scientific — to provide sustainable and effective solutions to our contemporary challenges. Let us act together with determination, because the future to which we aspire depends on our present commitment.
I thank the Sovereign Prince of Monaco for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Wesley W. Simina, President and Head of Government of the Federated States of Micronesia
I invite His Excellency Mr. Wesley W. Simina, President and Head of Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, to address the Assembly.
President Simina: I bring warm greetings from the people of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Micronesia has consistently voiced its concerns on the global stage, particularly in advocating for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in line with the 1.5° C pathway. We also champion initiatives to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and transition away from the use of fossil fuels. That includes addressing non-carbon dioxide emissions and short-lived climate pollutants in order to effectively combat the climate crisis, as those pollutants contribute significantly to global warming in the near term. By prioritizing their reduction, we can achieve more immediate
While we embrace the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), we do have some concerns about the text as adopted. We would like to suggest that the United Nations ensure that the implementation of the Pact includes robust and lasting commitments to transitioning away from coal, oil and gas in all sectors of society, aligning with the 1.5° C limit set in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Climate change poses an existential threat to the environmental stability, peace and security of Micronesia. As rising sea levels and extreme weather events jeopardize our livelihoods and displace communities, it is imperative that we recognize the profound link between climate resilience and the survival of our people. We must foster international cooperation to address the climate crisis with urgency.
Our planet is at a critical point of no return, so the time for action is now. We possess the tools, knowledge and innovative spirit to combat climate change and protect our ecosystems. The Pact for the Future serves as a call to action, urging us to commit to ambitious climate targets and investments in renewable energy. Together, we must strive to create a green economy that prioritizes both our planet and our people.
The challenges we face transcend borders; they are global in nature. From public health to economic stability, our interconnectedness necessitates collaboration that goes beyond nationality and ideology. Let us forge partnerships, share resources and establish frameworks for our collective resilience.
We have engaged in formal discussions since yesterday, resulting in the adoption of the Pact, so each of us needs to dream boldly and act decisively in order to make it a reality. Therefore, our vision for the future must be crafted collectively by leaders, innovators and citizens alike. Let us empower the next generation with the tools and knowledge it needs to thrive in an ever-changing world.
The Pact for the Future is crucial to the survival of the livelihoods and well-being of humankind, especially in small island developing States like mine. We continue to face extreme challenges as a consequence of climate change and our livelihoods stand on the brink of devastation. Therefore, I appeal to all leaders to rally behind the Pact so that we can safeguard the future of our people and our world.
I thank the President and Head of Government of the Federated States of Micronesia for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. David Ranibok Adeang, President and Head of State of the Republic of Nauru
I invite His Excellency Mr. David Ranibok Adeang, President and Head of State of the Republic of Nauru, to address the Assembly.
President Adeang: I align my statement with those delivered by the representative of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China; the representative of Samoa, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States; and the representative of Vanuatu, on behalf of the Pacific small island developing States (see A/79/PV.4).
To the co-facilitators of the Summit of the Future, Namibia and Germany, I extend my sincere gratitude for their tireless efforts on the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). Their exceptional leadership and commitment were crucial in guiding us to a successful conclusion amidst the immense challenges of that task.
The Summit of the Future is our call to action. It is a call to rebuild trust, to reimagine our systems and to secure a liveable future. The Pact for the Future is our road map. Our priorities are clear: climate action, access to financing and a reformed
The Pact recognizes the need for financial inclusion, but we must translate it into concrete action. The Pact’s reference to renewable energy holds potential. Nauru is committed to powering our future with clean energy. We appreciate the reference to the multidimensional vulnerability index (MVI). The Pact acknowledges the complexity of our vulnerabilities, but we must see that reflected in global policies and programmes, and we further call upon the international financial institutions and multilateral development banks to integrate the MVI into their frameworks. It is not just another statistic; it is a tool that provides a more accurate picture of our national circumstances, our strengths, our challenges and our potential.
The path ahead will not be easy. It demands commitment, innovative thinking and the courage to challenge existing norms. We will judge the Pact not on the words spoken here, but on the actions taken in the years to come. As we leave the Summit, let us carry with us not just hope but determination. Let our actions speak louder than our words and let us work to ensure that the Pact for the Future delivers on its promise.
I thank the President and Head of State of the Republic of Nauru for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. José Raúl Mulino Quintero, President of the Republic of Panama
I invite His Excellency Mr. José Raúl Mulino Quintero, President of the Republic of Panama, to address the Assembly.
President Mulino Quintero (spoke in Spanish): Today I address the Assembly on behalf of the Republic of Panama, a country of great strategic value located in the heart of the Western Hemisphere. In Panama, 64.8 per cent of the population is between 15 and 64 years old, indicating a large number of people of working age, with a significant proportion of young people among them.
During the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, countries asked Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a report with recommendations to advance our common agenda. Many suggestions were made. However, according to the Secretary-General, there is one constant — the decisions we make or fail to make today can cause us to backslide even further or move forward towards a greener, better and safer future. For that reason, we cannot talk about the Summit of the Future and the documents that emerge from it without mentioning the Secretary- General’s report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), which acts as a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of existing agreements, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
We have adopted the Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1) by consensus. Those documents contain the ideal for the long-term well-being of humankind, envisioning the next generations as custodians of a legacy for future generations. We accept the Secretary- General’s call to implement the reforms presented and other more profound ones with significant actions. The Summit of the Future, with the participation of all
It is a recognized fact that the challenges we face are advancing much faster than our capacity to meet them and that we cannot do it alone. Therefore, the Summit of the Future is a crucial step towards building a stronger and more effective multilateralism. With the actions taken, humankind has the opportunity to update and reform global institutions, including the Security Council and the international financial architecture, to respond to the political and economic realities of the future.
The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has slowed. Current conflicts are inflicting suffering, poverty and hunger are reaching critical levels in many countries, while the Sustainable Development Goals seem increasingly distant. Inequality, insecurity and violence are increasing every day, while access to quality education has lagged behind. In addition, the growing fear of the use of nuclear weapons, arising from open conflicts, adds another concern.
We must not bequeath inequality, injustice, discrimination, misogyny and racism in new forms to future generations. Those attitudes undermine the good faith and trust of humankind.
I cannot conclude without applauding proposals seeking to achieve better political representation, a transformation of education, vocational training and lifelong learning for our young people. It is imperative to create and operationalize a laboratory for futures thinking and appoint a United Nations special envoy for future generations to ensure that budgetary and political decisions consider their repercussions on future generations.
Panama, as a country that has built its international relations on dialogue, peace and multilateralism, is committed to striving to comply with the actions derived from the Pact for the Future. We care about our children and young people, and we always listen to their voices. They will be the ones who assume the responsibility of enforcing those actions, because we have taken the first step in gathering here.
I thank the President of the Republic of Panama for the statement he has just made.
Address by Ms. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
I invite Her Excellency Ms. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, to address the Assembly.
President Heine: The Republic of the Marshall Islands welcomes the Summit of the Future and the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) as an important opportunity to better match our collective political ambitions with a more effective United Nations system to help deliver results.
Our sustainable development and security challenges are overwhelming. Rightly, the Pact has encouraged the security and development agenda and assistance to be better aligned, a final recognition that in the Pacific and in other fragile regions development and security are closely linked. For the Marshall Islands, a low-lying atoll nation and small island developing State, climate remains our biggest security threat. While better emphasizing peacebuilding, we can help to reduce vulnerability to rising seas and rising tensions alike. This meeting should truly be for the future and to boost the rightful participation of the youngest and future generations. It is young people, the leaders of tomorrow, who will face the strongest consequences of inaction today.
The document ultimately reflects, not shapes, the fragmented multilateral platform. It is hard not to be frustrated by apparent political limitations. There is an incredible and persistent gap between ambitious solutions and international finance. We have all seen far too many study-and-forget-it moments at international summits. The international system is at risk of glossing over where we all have fallen short instead of identifying and addressing the core causes. Many of the Sustainable Development Goals remain stuck in place despite our ambition and political will, and we cannot keep papering over the sobering shortcomings without arriving at the conclusion that the money just is not there or that, when it is, it is so distant that it never reaches our shores and local communities.
Finally, it will be an important task to develop clear lines and linkages between the Pact for the Future and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (SIDs). Small island nations need and deserve a dedicated focus, which we all adopted earlier this year, but if the Pact is to be a blueprint for future partnership, then we cannot leave SIDs out of global goal-setting.
Taiwan remains a key partner to the Marshall Islands. Taiwan’s important partnership deserves appropriate recognition. If we are to truly leave no one behind, then Taiwan deserves meaningful and enhanced participation in the United Nations system.
I thank the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the statement she has just made.
Address by Mr. Surangel S. Whipps, President of the Republic of Palau
I invite His Excellency Mr. Surangel S. Whipps, President of the Republic of Palau, to address the Assembly.
President Whipps: Our tradition of bul, a sustainable resource management practice rooted in conservation and social order, has guided us towards sustainability for centuries, protecting our natural resources for future generations. As the least contributors to climate change, we face its harshest effects. Rising sea levels and extreme weather threaten our hospitals, schools and food security, putting our children’s future at risk.
Our tradition of stewardship through bul contrasts sharply with the global crisis we now confront — one we had little hand in creating. Fossil fuel addiction has worsened inequality and poverty. By returning to our traditions of bul sustainable resource management, coupled with science and technology, we can lift people out of poverty, restore balance to our ecosystems and effectively combat climate change.
We appreciate international funding for climate resilience. However, burdensome requirements make it inaccessible. Financing tailored to the special circumstances of the small island developing States is critical for effective climate action. The Sustainable Development Goals represent our vision for a world free from poverty and conflict. However, global progress is falling short, with only 15 per cent of targets on track and 37 per cent regressing. That reality is particularly challenging for small islands with limited resources. World leaders need to take decisive action and corporate leaders need to integrate sustainability into their business practices.
Building on our Protected Areas Network and the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, we are implementing a multisectoral marine spatial planning approach to achieve 100 per cent effective ocean management, prioritizing conservation, domestic fishing zones and tourism sites based on science, data and traditional knowledge.
Aligning with the global goal of 30 by 30, we are collaborating with other Pacific Islands and partners to discuss regional ocean protection and production measures. Recognizing the power of collective action, the Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity initiative was launched at the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is aimed at creating a regional movement that promotes 100 per cent effective ocean management, resilient food systems and sustainable financing for development. Investments are under way, and we call for even greater investments to ensure that its full potential is realized. As a big ocean State, we are deeply connected to the ocean. A healthy ocean means a healthy planet. Now more than ever, we must resist the temptation to rush into deep seabed mining, which threatens irreparable harm to our ocean. The technologies heralded as part of the green transition must not turn our largest carbon sink — the ocean — into a casualty of short-sighted greed. If we can send people to space, surely we can innovate to meet our energy needs without exploiting the seabed or engaging in other destructive practices. We acknowledge Taiwan’s valuable contributions to global sustainable development and technical cooperation. The irony of the theme of this year’s session of the General Assembly, “Leaving no one behind,” is starkly evident —
Mr. Chaivaivid (Thailand), Vice-President, took the Chair.
I thank the President of the Republic of Palau for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Togolese Republic
I invite His Excellency Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Togolese Republic, to address the Assembly.
President Gnassingbé (spoke in French): Eight decades ago, when the institution that is hosting us was created, the world was emerging from the Second World War and the future was resolutely perceived as positive. Today the complex crises that our planet is experiencing are forcing us to rethink our model of international development and cooperation. If we remain passive, those crises and models could lead our planet towards a dark future. Let us therefore seize the opportunity given to us here to change course.
My first assertion is that, in a case of systemic crisis, we need global responses. On the one hand, the current food, security and ecological challenges exceed any country’s ability to manage effectively on its own. On the other hand, the tangled nature of those complex crises makes them asymmetrical crises. Indeed, they
That collective action must be carried out within renewed global political frameworks because multilateralism itself must be rethought. The governance of our global institutions is in many respects obsolete and our discussions and multilateral commitments have revealed their shortcomings. If we are to identify truly effective solutions, a new model of international cooperation is essential.
Allow me to say a few words about Africa. To look to the future, we must look to Africa. Africa will remain home to the largest part of the world’s young people. That is where they have the strongest potential for market development, in particular the new markets of the future linked to the green or blue economy. It is also where we must experiment with new models of multi-stakeholder partnerships for development, and in particular with the private sector. They are critical to ensuring that our actions today have a positive and lasting impact.
In Africa as elsewhere, I believe that the State must play a central role in coordination. Why? First, because the State is the only guarantor of the interests of the entire population, and also because it is the only one to play a visionary, protective role for current and future generations. In Togo, we are striving to build a strong State. We see that State at the centre of any solution for development and humanitarian assistance, in collaboration with the private sector and civil society. I note that despite the efforts of recent years, international aid remains too often disconnected from the needs and capacities of the populations that benefit from it. That is why we must strengthen the role of African States in development aid as a truly strategic and equitable partner. The relocation of development efforts is essential and must be deeper; it must be financial but also political.
Finally, there must be more respect and representation for African States on the international stage. If the multilateral solution is to be truly inclusive, it must respect the dignity and equal representation of our peoples. We can build a better future only if all voices are heard and respected. That is also what it means to leave no one behind.
My country is ready to play its full part in the vast collective effort to shape a better future. We believe that it is by working together in a spirit of solidarity and mutual respect that we will succeed in meeting the challenges of our time and offering our children a fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable world.
I thank the President of the Togolese Republic for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, Vice-President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
I invite His Excellency Mr. Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, Vice-President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, to address the Assembly.
On behalf of His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, I congratulate the General Assembly on the timely holding of this Summit.
The scale of our mobilization demonstrates a correct understanding of the issues at stake at this Summit, which marks a historic turning point in our efforts to rebuild our planet. International peace and security are seriously threatened by wars that spare no continent. The human and material consequences of those conflicts are appalling, and no lasting solution seems to have been envisaged. Those conflicts
Faced with those challenges, which seriously threaten the future of the world, Côte d’Ivoire reaffirms its call for greater solidarity among nations and more adequate financing of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. In that spirit, my country welcomes the surge of solidarity that led to the adoption of the ambitious documents of our Summit, the Pact for the Future and its annexes (resolution 79/1). Our great expectation is that the Pact will promote the advent of a just and sustainable world through concrete and determined actions. We must therefore do everything possible to restore peace wherever conflicts rage. I welcome the support given to the initiatives of the Secretary-General, as well as the priority accorded to the prevention of all forms of violence and security threats and to the peaceful settlement of disputes.
In the areas of science, technology, innovation and digital cooperation, we must step up multi-stakeholder cooperation and partnerships to build capacities, transfer technologies and mobilize the necessary financial resources with a view to facilitating access to the opportunities offered by science and technology, stimulating innovation and reducing the digital divide and improving the governance of emerging technologies, in particular artificial intelligence. The Global Digital Compact that we have just adopted (resolution 79/1, annex I) is part of that dynamic and will, we are convinced, make it possible to specifically address these fundamental issues.
With regard to young people and future generations, the promotion of quality education, social inclusion and the representation of young people in decision-making bodies are essential and will make them agents of development for the building and transformation of model societies.
Finally, fairer, more representative and more inclusive global governance is more necessary than ever. To that end, multilateralism must be revitalized to encourage closer and more effective international cooperation. The time has therefore come to adapt international financial institutions and global governance to current realities, while ensuring that particular attention is paid to the modernization of the United Nations, including the reform of the Security Council.
Côte d’Ivoire has real hope in the effective implementation of the recommendations of this summit, in the interest of the younger generations and for a future of peace and prosperity for all.
I thank the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President in charge of National Defence and State Security of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea
I invite His Excellency Mr. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President in charge of National Defence and State Security of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, to address the Assembly.
I take the floor on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.
I congratulate the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly on the initiative to convene this Summit of the Future, at which we have adopted the Pact of the Future (resolution 79/1). Today we have the opportunity to meet at a crucial moment in our history and at a time when the decisions we make within the
In our view, it is unlikely that we will achieve the future to which we all aspire if we do not take into account the crucial role of Africa, with its rich diversity and vast resources. Africa represents both a challenge and an opportunity in the search for a future based on peace and security, the silencing of arms, multilateralism, inclusiveness and the financing of sustainable, equitable and inclusive development, ensuring that no country is left behind.
To that end, we need a renewed commitment to mobilizing both public and private financial resources and directing them towards projects that promote environmental sustainability, the eradication of poverty and the creation of employment. International cooperation is essential to building sustainable and resilient infrastructure that benefits all generations. There can be no better future if we do not combat interference, sanctions and other unilateral coercive measures, racism, attempts at destabilization, neocolonialist actions and similar mechanisms, as well as pressures and blockades that do nothing but hinder the development of other countries and regions, especially the global South.
The Pact for the Future must rest on the shoulders of our young people. They are the future of our nations and we must therefore invest in their education, health and well-being, empowering them to be agents of change.
In conclusion, the Summit of the Future is an opportunity to renew our commitment to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to work together towards a more peaceful, prosperous and secure world. Equatorial Guinea appeals to all countries, in both the global North and the global South, to join forces and build a future in which every person, regardless of her or his origin, race, gender or creed, can live with dignity and hope.
I thank the Vice President in charge of National Defence and State Security of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea for the statement he has just made.
Address by Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu
I invite His Excellency Mr. Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu, to address the Assembly.
I have the honour to deliver this statement as Chair of the Pacific small island developing States (SIDS) represented in New York. We align ourselves with the statements delivered by the representatives of Uganda, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and of Samoa, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (see A/79/PV.4), and that to be delivered by the representative of Tonga, on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum.
We are on the front line of the climate crisis. The lives, livelihoods, security and well-being of our people are threatened by the rising tides of inaction. We are here today not to merely exchange words but to forge for the future a path that will determine the fate of our planet and the lives of generations yet unborn.
The Pacific SIDS endorse the intended outcomes of this Summit. We understand that the Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1) are more than just a document; they are a blueprint of a world of security, sustainable and resilient. Those frameworks demand a transformative multilateralism, urgent climate actions and the responsible use of digital technology.
The outcome of the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) and anticipated decisions at COP29 are pivotal in that endeavour. We reaffirm the critical need to accelerate climate action during this decisive decade, reflecting equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, irrespective of capabilities. We welcome the call for climate financing starting at a floor of $100 billion, with a focus on the needs of developing countries. As nations disproportionately impacted by climate change, the SIDS urge the international community to close the adaptation funds gap that severely affects in developing countries, particularly small island developing State. Moreover, we emphasize the necessity of enhancing international cooperation and support to inspire greater ambition in the next round of nationally determined contributions. We must urgently accelerate the development, transfer and deployment of renewable energy technology.
Climate change is more than merely an environmental issue; it is a security issue. It further exacerbates social tensions, economic insecurity and humanitarian disasters. We must integrate climate change into peace operation mandates and ensure comprehensive risk assessments that address the needs of our vulnerable groups, including women, children and indigenous people.
We all recognize the transformative potential of digital technologies, as outlined in the Global Digital Compact. However, that potential can be realized only if we breach the profound digital divides that exist between our countries. Our digital future must be inclusive, safe, secure and empowering of all people to participate fully in the digital economy and society. We must harness digital technology to advance sustainable development, protect human rights and ensure that no one is left behind.
Let us remember that the future we want is within our grasp, but only if we have the courage to seize it. The Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact offer us pathways grounded in solidarity, hope, equity and justice to create a world where all people can thrive in peace and prosperity. We stand ready to work with all nations to turn those commitments into action to protect our planet and secure a brighter future.
I thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia
I invite His Excellency Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia, to address the Assembly.
Three years ago, in Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), the Secretary-General proposed the Summit of the Future, aiming to promote a new global consensus on delivering a better present and safeguarding the future for generations to come. Today that vision is realized as we gather, united in our commitment to rebuilding trust and seeking multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow.
In the light of those overwhelming global issues, this Summit presents a unique opportunity to demonstrate the power of effective global cooperation and multilateralism. Its outcomes will significantly advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aligned with the Declaration of the SDG Summit. At this crucial moment, Georgia stands ready to unite with the international community in that shared endeavour.
The Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) offers us a chance to transform the success of this Summit into meaningful, lasting transformation. It sets out a more effective course, leading to specific and sustainable progress for future generations. In that spirit, we welcome the adoption of the Pact, including the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, annexed to the Pact, and we look forward to its swift implementation.
It is clear that peace and security are the foundations of human rights and sustainable development. In a world marred by conflicts, aggressions and forced displacement, the Pact represents a crucial path forward, promoting global peace and security through adherence to the Charter of the United Nations and international law, strengthening accountability and ending impunity. By following that path, we will uphold human rights and achieve sustainable development.
In our digitized world, where technology presents both tremendous opportunities and challenges, the Global Digital Compact should serve as a road map towards an open, secure and inclusive digital future. Global digital cooperation is key to leveraging the advantages of cutting-edge technologies, promoting human rights online and offline, and eliminating the risks posed by the misuse of technology.
We believe that it is essential to incorporate the viewpoints of future generations into our policy frameworks, ensuring that the long-term impacts of our actions are considered. The Declaration on Future Generations is a crucial tool for ensuring that their voices are heard and their concerns addressed in shaping a sustainable future.
The Summit of the Future has provided a vital platform for fostering international cooperation and solidarity. As we move forward, the real challenge will be translating our commitments into tangible actions through the effective implementation of the Pact. Let us sustain that momentum and work together to build a better tomorrow where the values of the Organization are fully respected and upheld.
I thank the Prime Minister of Georgia for the statement he has just made.
Address by Ms. Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy
I invite Her Excellency Ms. Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy, to address the Assembly.
The Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) that we have adopted is the result of complex negotiations, for which I want to thank the President of the General Assembly, the
The challenges that history has placed before us are manifold and multiform: climate change, social and economic inequalities, humanitarian and health crises, transnational crime and armed conflicts — starting with Russia’s unacceptable war of aggression on the sovereign nation of Ukraine — that make international security increasingly precarious. Faced with such a complex scenario, we have no choice but to act.
I think it is clear to all that we live in a time of crisis, but crises always conceal opportunities. The word “crisis”, after all, derives from the ancient Greek term “krisis”, meaning “choice” or “decision”. Crises force us to question ourselves and take a stand and do not allow for hesitation. We know that no State can effectively master current challenges on its own, and that is why Italy is a committed supporter of multilateralism and of its most representative institution, the United Nations — the forum where each and every voice is heard and where we are called on to learn, to understand each other and to respect each other.
Of course, any organization is effective if its rules are fair and mutually agreed. That is why we are convinced that no reform of the United Nations governance, particularly regarding its Security Council, can disregard the principles of equality, democracy and representativeness. A reform makes sense if performed for everyone and not just for some. We are not interested in creating new hierarchies and we do not believe that there are class A nations and class B nations. There are simply nations, with their own histories, specificities and citizens who all have the same rights, because individuals are born free and equal.
That also means we must think about cooperation among nations in a new way. Italy has done so, for example, with the Mattei Plan for Africa, an investment plan designed to cooperate with African nations through an approach that is neither paternalistic, charitable nor predatory, but based on respect and the right of each one of us to compete on equal terms. It is our recipe for promoting the development of a continent that is too often undervalued, building its stability and finally guaranteeing one right that until now has been denied to too many young people — the right not to have to emigrate.
In talking about development, we cannot fail to address the new frontiers of technological innovation, starting with generative artificial intelligence — a phenomenon on which, I am afraid, there is still insufficient awareness. Artificial intelligence is first and foremost a great multiplier, but the question we need to answer is: What do we want to multiply? To put it bluntly, if that multiplier were used to cure still incurable diseases, then it would contribute to the common good. On the other hand, however, if that multiplier were to be used to further upset global balances, then the resulting scenarios would be potentially catastrophic. Machines will not answer those questions; only we can do so. Politics must do so, and it is therefore crucial that artificial intelligence be human-controlled and human-centric.
Those are all issues that we address in the Pact, and they are all issues that Italy has placed at the core of the agenda of its presidency of the Group of Seven this year. That is the role of multilateralism — not to be a club where people gather to write useless documents crammed with good intentions, but to be the forum where we must tackle decision-making urgency and where ideas must become actions combining different sensibilities.
I thank the President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy for the statement she has just made.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, to address the Assembly.
We have gathered here today driven by a common purpose: concern for the present and a commitment to shaping a better future. This Summit is crucial because the choices we make now will define the world for future generations.
I thank Germany and Namibia, alongside Sweden, Zambia, Jamaica and the Netherlands, for their leadership in guiding this essential global dialogue.
Today the world faces an alarming surge in conflicts. The cooperative spirit that has long underpinned international relations, embodied by the United Nations, is under severe strain. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and beyond, as well as other global hostilities, are existential threats to global peace, security and humanity. Those challenges do not affect just one region; they endanger us all.
In these turbulent times, restoring trust and solidarity among nations is not merely desirable; it is imperative. Croatia understands that deeply. Thirty years ago, much like Ukraine today, we were a nation ravaged by war, defending our sovereignty against a far more powerful aggressor. Today Croatia stands as a proud member of both NATO and the European Union. Our painful history has shaped Croatia’s resilience and provided us with a unique understanding of the challenges that come with conflict.
Despite the myriad challenges we face, we must prioritize sustainable development as a foundation for global peace and security. Sustainable development is not just an aspiration; it is essential for stability. To achieve it, we must foster global solidarity and urgently reform the international financial architecture to support those goals. Croatia firmly believes that effective multilateralism, rooted in respect for international law, the Charter of the United Nations and genuine partnerships, is the way forward. It is only through a unified approach, combining security, development and human rights, that we can ensure prosperity for all.
Croatia’s experience as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission last year and our efforts in peacebuilding are now integral to the global peace framework. That is our legacy.
We are also committed to the efficient implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. I am proud to say that Croatia currently ranks eighth out of 193 countries in Sustainable Development Goal implementation. That achievement reflects our commitment to sustainable growth and positions Croatia as a model for how even smaller nations can lead by example. We continue to advance three key processes: digital transformation, demographic renewal and decarbonization. Those priorities, embedded in our national policies, drive our growth while ensuring sustainability. Croatia’s forward- looking vision balances economic progress with social responsibility. Looking ahead, I see three critical areas that require our collective attention.
First, conflict prevention is more urgent than ever. Our experience in Croatia reminds us of the importance of early action and diplomacy to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Secondly, we must not waver in our commitment to sustainable development. Climate action, protecting biodiversity and reversing environmental degradation are essential for our survival.
The outcome of this Summit provides us with a clear road map. Now, it is up to us to turn those plans into reality. The time to act is now. Croatia stands ready to contribute to our joint effort of a more just, peaceful, and sustainable global order.
I thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway
I invite His Excellency Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway, to address the Assembly.
With so much dividing us and so many wars going on, I think we can salute yesterday’s agreement and that we came together and were able to agree on ambitious targets. The Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) provides a vision for that across all the United Nations three main pillars. That should be commended. Let me highlight three points from the Norwegian perspective.
First, we have reaffirmed our commitment to international law, including human rights. The disregard for human life and international law that we are seeing today must not be allowed to continue. Universally agreed rules and rights remain an indispensable foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and just world. Those who deliberately breach those rules must be held accountable.
Secondly, we urgently need to address climate change, cut emissions, transform our energy systems and protect the environment. We must deliver on our pledges. We stand firmly by agreed commitments and keep our ambitions high. We need to close the extensive financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, leaving no one behind. That includes increasing climate finance and investments. Together with Mexico, Nepal and Zambia, Norway will serve as co-facilitator for the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. We are committed to working with all Member States to achieve an ambitious outcome in Seville next year.
The Pact rightly addresses the need to provide sufficient and timely debt relief to countries in debt distress, to reform the multilateral development banks and to promote more inclusive and effective tax cooperation. Norway will continue to engage in an active and constructive manner to develop a United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation. We must work towards an inclusive, open and secure digital future for all. That is part of our dialogue here at the United Nations today. Accessibility is key, particularly for the least developed countries. Some 2.6 billion people remain excluded from the digital world.
Too many people also lack access to electricity. Norway supports and actively promotes the Mission 300 initiative of the World Bank and the African Development Bank to provide 300 million people in Africa with electricity by the end of this decade.
Norway is committed to bridging the digital divide. Our efforts include advancing digital public goods and ensuring digital identification access for all. We also urge stronger cooperation among the large States on safe artificial intelligence regulation that would deliver the opportunities of that technology and limit its threats.
Thirdly, it almost goes without saying that sustainable development cannot be achieved without peace and security. Preventive diplomacy and peacebuilding must be at the centre of our efforts. It is essential to ensure women’s participation in all aspects of the peace and security agenda. There were powerful decisions made by the United Nations on that issue earlier; it should be highlighted again.
The General Assembly plays a vital role in maintaining international peace and security, in close coordination with the Security Council. We should expect from the Security Council that it can get its act together and end the war of aggression that Russia is conducting against Ukraine and that it will weigh in and help end the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East and work towards a two-State solution, giving the Palestinians their right to a State and conditions in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in peace. The solutions can be found only in close partnership with other stakeholders, including in the civil and private sectors.
There is a lot to be done. The Pact for the Future is a commitment to one another and to future generations, providing a road map for building a better world. Now, the work of putting the Pact into action begins and Norway is eager to get started.
I thank the Prime Minister of Norway for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. John Briceño, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment of Belize
I invite His Excellency Mr. John Briceño, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment of Belize, to address the Assembly.
The adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1) must be seen not as an end but rather as a beginning. While those outcomes lay a foundation for action, they represent only a floor for a much greater ambition that is needed to transform our world for present and future generations.
The world faces a threefold planetary crisis and a development crisis. Human and planetary capacities are approaching limits from which there may be no rebound. Our development and climate goals are slipping further away from our reach and yet there has been no effective global response. To say that we will do what we have failed to do will not suffice. Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, every year has seen record-breaking climate impacts. For the first time, over a 12-month period spanning February 2023 to January 2024, global warming exceeded 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels. If that trend persists, then Paris alone will not be enough, nor will our promises to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
These are unprecedented times. They demand unprecedented action across whole systems at all levels and at all times, guided by the values and principles we espouse as a United Nations. We must ensure the dignity of people. We need to reimagine and remake this world into one that is just and secure and that will endure; one in which every voice matters, bringing the voices from the margins to the centre — the voices of young people, women and indigenous peoples, and the voices of countries like my own, the small island developing States (SIDS). They should benchmark our collective ambition because a better tomorrow can be realized only if the solutions respond to the most urgent of needs — their needs.
In Belize, the young people are calling for opportunities to harness individual and technological potential. They need sustained investments in good decent education, comprehensive health care and a greener and bluer economy that targets support for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.
Likewise, the international financial architecture, even in its current phase of reform, is built on the foundation of a bygone era. The dynamics of power are ever changing. We need to build those institutions to be effective well into the future.
Today I affirm Belize’s unwavering commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They are the only ambitious, universally agreed blueprint to achieve an equitable and sustainable future all. Let us then push harder for justice, go deeper for change and make our actions meaningful for everyone. More than an opportunity, the Summit of the Future is a challenge. Let us rise up to that challenge, go beyond the confines of our present context, be bolder in our vision, and embrace a much greater ambition for a better tomorrow.
I thank the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment of Belize for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
I invite His Excellency Mr. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, to address the Assembly.
It is particularly significant for me to take part in this Summit of the Future because I received my current mandate as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia in the parliamentary elections under the slogan of our party, “There is a future”.
All the problems we are facing today are directly or indirectly related to decisions that have been made or have not been made at some point in the past, and we can say the same about all the successes and achievements of today. We cannot change the past, nor can we change much of today, because today is to some extent a part of the past. But shaping the future is today’s most important task. The agenda of our actions is also known — peace, security, prosperity, freedom, justice, human rights, artificial intelligence and climate change — but what is of high importance is the concept that we should make the basis of our vision of the future and consequently how to build the future.
It may sound strange, but the most important thing we can do for the future is to create positive narratives and focus on the possibilities of creating the foundations for them, regardless of whether they exist at the moment or not. One of the reasons for today’s global crisis is that international formats have long been an arena for mutual accusations and threats and the places where crises and deadlocks take place or are announced.
I can hardly remember a positive speech delivered on behalf either of myself or other leaders on international platforms. There are objective reasons for that. There is little material for positive discourse, and maybe that is because in the past there was very little or no positive narrative at all. We usually come to the United Nations to declare how bad things are going to get, because the facts proving that are many and everywhere, so it does not require much effort to see them. Efforts should be made to see the prerequisites of a good future and think about them, because what happens in reality happens first in our minds.
Yes, for now let us only talk, since “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. Therefore, it is necessary to start with good words. It is necessary to propose the slogan “There is a future” as a theorem and to work to prove it. Let us do so.
I thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
I invite His Excellency Mr. Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, to address the Assembly.
It is an honour to address the United Nations for the first time as Prime Minister of Luxembourg on the occasion of the Summit of the Future.
Luxembourg is well placed to know that no country, regardless of its size, is able to meet the challenges that arise on its own. That observation is the basis of our multilateral commitment. We were present at the signing of the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco because the people of Luxembourg, like all the peoples of the United Nations, were determined to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, as the Preamble to the Charter so aptly puts it.
Today, unfortunately, the scourge of war continues to affect peoples throughout the world. I think of the people of Ukraine, who are defending themselves with exceptional courage against the war of aggression launched by the Russian President. I think of the peoples in the grip of conflict in the Middle East. I think of the peoples of Africa, the Sudan, the Sahel and elsewhere, wounded by wars, insecurity and terrorism. The international order based on the rule of law is in crisis. Gross violations of the Charter and international humanitarian law are on the rise. The Sustainable Development Goals seem out of reach for many. Faced with that reality, there is no miracle cure or single solution. The only thing that counts is commitment — concrete commitment, day after day.
It is clear that we must move from words to more effective action on United Nations reform. The Security Council must become more representative and more accountable to all Member States. Experience shows that States elected to the Security Council can make a difference by bringing new perspectives, especially when the permanent members are divided. Luxembourg proved that in 2013 and 2014, and we hope to be able to prove it again if we are elected to the Council for the 2031-2032 term. Let us further strengthen the role of the General Assembly, especially when the Security Council is blocked by the veto.
It is also clear that the global financial architecture must be reformed, because it is not up to today’s challenges and in particular the needs of developing countries. For Luxembourg, development, security and human rights must go hand-in-hand. Luxembourg is committed to promoting human rights and international law. That is also our priority as a member of the Human Rights Council. Luxembourg also continues to keep its commitment to official development assistance by devoting 1 per cent of its gross national income to it each year. We continue to honour our
Luxembourg welcomes the adoption of the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) and congratulates Germany and Namibia on successfully facilitating the negotiations. But this moment also reminds me of the words of one of my predecessors, Joseph Bech, who was present at the San Francisco Conference. In his words,
“It is not the revision of this or that provision of the Charter, but rather the revision of the spirit with which we animate it that will save us”.
More than the words on which we reached agreement in San Francisco or yesterday, it is the feeling of mutual trust that must animate our actions in the years to come.
I thank the Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India
I invite His Excellency Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to address the Assembly.
On behalf of India, the world’s largest democracy, and 1.4 billion Indians, I greet all present in the Hall. In the largest elections in human history, held in June, the people of India gave me the opportunity to serve them for a third consecutive term, and today I bring the voice of that one-sixth of humankind to the United Nations.
In discussing the global future, we must accord the highest priority to a human- centric approach. While prioritizing sustainable development, we must also ensure human welfare, food and health security. By lifting 250 million people out of poverty in India, we have demonstrated that sustainable development can be successful and we are ready to share that experience of our success with the entire global South.
The success of humankind lies in our collective strength, not on the battlefield. For global peace and development, reforming our global institutions is essential. Reform is the key to relevance. The granting of permanent membership of the Group of 20 to the African Union at the New Delhi Summit was an important step in that direction. While, on the one hand, terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security, on the other, areas such as cyber, maritime and outer space are emerging as new theatres of conflict. On all those issues, I stress that global action must match global ambition.
There is a need for balanced global regulation for the safe and responsible use of technology. We need a global digital governance that ensures that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld. Digital public infrastructure should be a bridge, not a barrier. For the global good, India is ready to share its digital public infrastructure with the entire world.
For India, the theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future” is a commitment. That commitment is also reflected in our One Earth, One Health and One Sun, One World, One Grid initiatives. India will continue to work in thought, words and deeds to protect the rights of all humankind and global prosperity.
I thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of India for the statement he has just made.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Russell Mmiso Dlamini, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini, to address the Assembly.
On behalf of His Majesty King Mswati III, it is a great honour to address the Summit of the Future, where world leaders have gathered to commit to multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow. The Summit is an opportunity to take bold actions that will shape the future of our planet and the well-being of generations to come.
We commend the co-facilitators of the outcome documents — the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1) — for their stellar work.
Humankind faces unprecedented global challenges, from poverty and inequality to climate change and technological transformation. No single nation can tackle those challenges alone. The Pact for the Future calls for a renewed, inclusive, equitable and responsive multilateral system.
Eswatini, along with other African nations, has long called for reform of the United Nations to create a more inclusive and representative global governance system. The Ezulwini Consensus remains a cornerstone of that call. The current structure of the Security Council does not reflect modern geopolitical realities, particularly the underrepresentation of Africa. Expanding the Security Council to include permanent representation for Africa and other marginalized regions is essential to maintaining its legitimacy and addressing global security challenges. That reform is critical to building trust in global institutions.
Eswatini believes that Taiwan must be included in the international system. Taiwan contributes significantly to global public health, economic development and technological innovation. Excluding Taiwan limits global cooperation when it is most needed. We call for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
The coronavirus disease pandemic, economic shocks and the climate crisis have exposed vulnerabilities in the international financial system. Many developing nations face unsustainable debt, limiting their investment in critical areas like health care, education and infrastructure. Eswatini calls for comprehensive debt restructuring and reforms to international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, ensuring that they respond to the needs of developing nations. Fairer access to financing for climate resilience and development is also crucial.
Although Eswatini, like other developing countries, contributes little to the climate crisis, it is heavily impacted by it. While we have made significant improvements in disaster risk governance, urgent climate finance from developed nations is crucial to help mitigate and adapt to those effects. As we work to reduce emissions and meet our commitments, developing nations must continue to prioritize industrialization and energy security to achieve their development goals.
Technological advancements create opportunities for development but they have also widened the digital divide. Eswatini recognizes the transformative potential of digital technologies but urges technologically advanced nations to support affordable technology sharing with developing countries and address risks from emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. We must ensure that technology becomes a tool for inclusion, not inequality. This Summit presents a unique opportunity to rebuild trust in the multilateral system. The crises we face require urgent, coordinated international cooperation.
I thank the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini for the statement he has just made.
Address by Mr. Gaston Alphonso Browne, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Corporate Governance and Public Private Partnerships of Antigua and Barbuda
I invite His Excellency Mr. Gaston Alphonso Browne, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Corporate Governance and Public Private Partnerships of Antigua and Barbuda, to address the Assembly.
The multifaceted environmental, economic, health-related and social emergencies we face are perhaps humankind’s greatest existential challenges. The timing of this Summit is critical as we confront those unprecedented global threats. The decisions we make now impact not just us but generations to come. Despite decades of United Nations-led sustainable development conferences, little has been accomplished to safeguard the rights of future generations. Whereas future generations are poised to inherit the greatest technological advancements, with unabated climate change perhaps they will have no Earth to call home. Our planet is finite, but humans’ current ambitions for unending economic profits and territorial expansion seemingly know no bounds.
That unsustainable trajectory, marked by escalating climate impacts, environmental destruction, economic greed, wars and threats of wars, poses an existential threat to all life on Earth. Temperature records are broken almost daily. Hurricanes, floods and droughts ravage our lands, while mangroves and tropical forests, crucial to our planetary biodiversity and balance, are being obliterated. By making infinite demands on a finite planet, we are transforming our once hospitable home into a hostile environment. This is our moment to change course and to future-proof our burning planet from ultimate destruction.
Who will compensate future generations for our selfish acts? The principle that “the polluters pay” is meant to guide us, but in reality it is the future that bears the greatest cost. Neither does the climate crisis affect everyone equally, nor is everyone equally responsible. We who have contributed least to the climate crisis are suffering its worst impacts. To add insult to injury, the large polluters are paying themselves hundreds of billions of dollars for carbon credits to protract their profligate use of fossil fuels at the expense of the small island developing States (SIDS) and other developing countries.
Wealthy nations, disproportionately responsible for the climate crisis, must face the indisputable truth that they owe a debt to the world. The time for excuses is over. They must pay for their polluting ecocidal torts against our planet and human civilization and take immediate steps to slash emissions aggressively. Those nations must aid in healing our environment, rebuilding homes and transitioning from fossil fuel to cleaner, green energy alternatives. Wealthy polluters have driven climate change for far too long. It is time to hold them accountable. That is an ethical imperative that is necessary for our survival. To Big Oil, we say, “Your days of exploiting the global South’s natural resources are numbered”.
As we move to renewable energy, I re-emphasize that rich industrialized nations must pay for the loss and damage that have devastated our communities. And to the carbon billionaires, I say, “Your profits must fuel a sustainable future, not your profligate lifestyles”. Wealthy countries and their industrial giants must pay their dues and invest in a sustainable, equitable future for all.
Small island developing States met recently in Antigua and Barbuda and laid out the future we want in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. It is time for the international community to be as bold as SIDS and to shift focus, not just to sustaining our damaged ecosystems, but also to ensuring equity and fairness by providing climate and financial justice to all. I call upon leaders and policymakers to commit to an international financial architecture that bridges gaps, alleviates inequalities and fosters sustainable development. Providing debt relief, and access to finance should be based on countries’ vulnerabilities —
I thank the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Corporate Governance and Public Private Partnerships of Antigua and Barbuda for the statement he has just made.
Address by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See
I invite His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, to address the Assembly.
Cardinal Parolin (Holy See): The current Summit, convened against a backdrop of apparent crisis in the multilateral system, should be a source and a reason for hope, in line with Pope Francis’s assertion that,
“‘Hopeful’ does not mean being optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that does not lock itself into darkness, that does not dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow.”
The future should be constructed on a foundation of principles, including the inherent God-given dignity of every individual, the promotion of integral human development, the equality and sovereign dignity of all nations and the establishment of trust between them. There is a need to rethink actions in a number of areas.
First, the eradication of poverty must remain the overarching goal of all future action, bearing in mind that development is the name for peace. That requires the political will to achieve sustainable development, also through the reform of the international financial institutions, debt restructuring and debt forgiveness strategies.
Secondly, the pursuit of peace requires the implementation of general disarmament, and in particular the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Narrow geopolitical considerations must be set aside and strong economic lobbies must be resisted in order to uphold human dignity and promote integral development.
Thirdly, with respect to artificial intelligence (AI), the Holy See advocates for a regulatory framework for AI ethics that encompasses the lifecycle of AI and addresses, inter alia, data protection, accountability, bias and the impact of AI on employment.
Thinking of the future should take into account the needs and interests of future generations, guaranteeing a dignified future for all and ensuring the provision of the requisite conditions — including a nurturing family environment — to facilitate flourishing. If dignity is the foundation and integral human development is the goal of our future, dialogue is the necessary means. Today the sense of belonging to a single human family is fading and the dream of working together for justice and
“The present time invites us to give priority to actions that generate new processes in society, so as to bear fruit in the form of significant and positive historical events. […] The future demands of us critical and global decisions in the face of worldwide conflicts that increase the number of the excluded and those in need.” (A/70/PV.3, p.6)
While taking note of the adoption of the Pact for the Future and its annexes (resolution 79/1), the Holy See, in conformity with its nature and particular mission, wishes to express its reservations on some of the concepts used therein. In the interests of time, the full text of this statement will be posted online.
I thank the Secretary of State of the Holy See for the statement he has just made.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Chenda Sophea Sok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to address the Assembly.
It is my great honour to address this gathering on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia. This is a crucial moment to consolidate our commitment to addressing together many deeply interconnected challenges: climate change, inequality, poverty, gaps in technology and increasingly complicated violent conflicts. The Summit of the Future is an opportune occasion to adapt global governance to today’s reality. It is a time to rebuild trust in the multilateral system as we strive to build a prosperous, healthy and harmonious world for our current and future generations. Allow me to elaborate on a few key points.
First, international peace and security is becoming more fragile with each passing day as geopolitical tensions continue to intensify. It is incumbent on us all to firmly uphold the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law; they are the backbone of the international order and global cooperation. The use of diplomacy and mediation must be prioritized to resolve conflicts. Concerted efforts toward peacebuilding should be enhanced.
Cambodia sees great merit in the New Agenda for Peace presented by the Secretary-General and is proud to have contributed nearly 9,000 men and women to support United Nations peacekeeping operations since 2006. Once a war-torn country, Cambodia understands that peace is the prerequisite for development and progress. Thanks to peace and stability, Cambodia now ranks among the best achievers on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly when it comes to reducing poverty, providing quality education and health care, creating more jobs and driving growth, and addressing climate change.
Secondly, sustainable development requires sufficient and efficient financing. Cambodia is currently investing in building up its human capital, targeting 1.5 million young people, diversifying its economic base and intensifying its green transition. Cambodia strongly supports efforts to ensure a fair and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core. Cambodia also joins the call to reform the international financial architecture and address financial gaps, particularly those that affect the least developed countries.
Thirdly, the advancement of science, digital technologies and innovation presents both transformative solutions for human development and risks. Cambodia strongly supports efforts to intensify international cooperation to ensure that the proliferation of science, technologies and innovation enhances human development. We must work together to overcome growing digital divides and fight against the misuse of digital technologies. To those ends, Cambodia endorses the Global Digital
Fourthly, it is our shared responsibility to safeguard the needs and interests of our young people and future generations. Cambodia, fully recognizing the importance of intergenerational partnerships, commits to the letter and the spirit of the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1, annex II) . Cambodia already has in place a long-term development plan, called the Pentagonal Strategy. It is designed to ensure that our young people are engaged in and well equipped for long-term development that harmonizes economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. We also note the progress in mainstreaming young people into the United Nations- wide system.
Finally, transforming global governance for today’s challenges is crucial if —
I invite His Excellency Mr. Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to address the Assembly.
Kazakhstan is here today to join efforts with all States Members and institutions of the United Nations in ensuring a brighter future both for our planet and for all humankind.
Fully supporting the Secretary-General’s endeavours to build a prosperous community of nations, my country commits itself to all three landmark documents of the Summit of the Future. It is obvious that the effective multilateralism enshrined in the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) should be central to overcoming today’s unprecedented existential challenges and threats. Therefore, the current Summit is a timely call for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations system. As stated by President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, “the voices of the middle Powers and all developing countries on the Council need to be amplified and clearly heard” (A/78/ PV.5, p.6). In times of geopolitical turmoil and economic uncertainty, the world needs diplomacy and dialogue.
Climate change is a global issue that cannot be addressed without multilateral engagement. Central Asia stands on the front line of global warming and will face a 2.5° C increase in temperatures by 2050. To effectively tackle problems like melting glaciers, water scarcity, biodiversity loss and desertification, my country will host the first regional climate summit under United Nations auspices in 2026.
In addition, we propose opening a United Nations regional centre on sustainable development for Central Asia and Afghanistan to further enhance coordination on Sustainable Development Goal deliverables. I am confident that with the right support, that idea will serve as a future role model for United Nations development mechanisms. Furthermore, Kazakhstan calls on all technologically advanced countries to eliminate barriers and commit necessary resources to assist climate-vulnerable communities.
Digital transformation is a driving power of progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Within the next decade, about 70 per cent of all global goods and services will be produced using digital platforms. The potential benefits of those changes will depend on equitable access to cutting-edge technologies in all countries. To that end, being a regional informational technology powerhouse, Kazakhstan has initiated the establishment of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Digital Solutions Centre to bridge the digital divide in the Asia-Pacific region. Emerging digital solutions, including artificial intelligence, should not pose a threat to international security.
Upholding human rights is not merely an aspiration, but one of the key components of sustainable development. It is also the best antidote against the inequalities that are often at the root of instability and conflicts. In accordance with our objective to build a just and fair Kazakhstan, my country has abolished the death penalty, instituted a zero-tolerance policy against torture and strengthened its national preventive mechanism. President Tokayev’s large-scale reform agenda is firmly based on the principles of rule of law, good governance and inclusive social and economic development. In essence, respect for fundamental human rights is the highest priority for us.
We have a unique chance to advance our shared vision for an equitable, stable and peaceful future for generations to come. There is no alternative to the world based on the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law. Let us work together in the spirit of open, constructive engagement and true multilateralism.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Wang Yi, Special Representative of Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping, Member of the Political Bureau of the CP Central Committee and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Peoples’ Republic of China, to address the Assembly.
The future carries the hope of human development. Facing transformation unseen in a century, it is highly relevant that we gather here. Humankind has only one planet. It is important that we take good care of our common home and make joint efforts to advance global governance.
With that goal in mind, Chinese President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humankind, advocated high quality belt-and-road cooperation, and proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. That vision and those initiatives have provided new solutions for tackling the common challenges facing humankind and drawn a new blueprint for building a better world.
China proposes that we need to build a future of peace and tranquillity. In this changing and turbulent world, new risks and challenges keep cropping up. No country can stay unaffected. Greater solidarity and cooperation within the international community is not a choice but a must. Countries should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and settle disputes through dialogue, resolve differences through consultation and enhance security through cooperation. Major countries in particular should lead by example. They should break geopolitical cycles, rise above bloc confrontation and serve as drivers for world solidarity and anchors for international peace. We should build a future of development and prosperity. In today’s world, countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but rather sailing in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges. Small boats may not survive wind and waves, but a giant ship is strong enough to brave the stormy seas. Countries need to share development opportunities and pursue win-win cooperation. We need to follow a people-centred development philosophy and advocate universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization to deliver the fruits of development to our people and ensure common prosperity for all countries. A winner-takes-all We should build a future of fairness and justice. All countries, regardless of their size and strength, are equal members of the international community. International affairs should be handled through consultation among all countries. We need to build an equal and orderly multipolar world and defend the United Nations-centred international system, based on international law and the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. We need to strengthen the authority of the international rule of law, reject the law of the jungle where the strong bully the weak, oppose acts of hegemonism, such as unilateral sanctions and protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. We need to build a better future. As the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation deepens, new opportunities and challenges have emerged for human society and global governance. We need to keep abreast with the times, push back the frontier, explore new practices and make global governance more just and equitable. China supports the United Nations in serving as the main channel for artificial intelligence (AI) governance and will propose an AI capacity-building action plan for good and for all. In particular, we need to encourage young people to deploy their creativity and contribute their share to the advancement of humankind. China today is going all out to build a great modern socialist country in all respects and pursue national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization. That will create new opportunities for world peace and development. China will work hand-in-hand with countries around the world to advance the building of a community with a shared future for humankind and create a more peaceful and better tomorrow.
Mr. Jackman (Barbados), Vice-President, took the Chair.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Luc Mercelina, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands, to address the Assembly.
I am honoured to be here today as the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, representing the Kingdom of the Netherlands in all its diversity.
I thank Secretary-General António Guterres for initiating this Summit and spearheading efforts to forge a new international consensus on how we can deliver on a better present and safeguard the future.
I would also like to thank President Nangolo Mbumba of the Republic of Namibia and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Federal Republic of Germany for the extraordinary leadership that their countries have shown in bringing to life an ambitious Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). My special thanks go to Prime Minister Holness of Jamaica. Together, we are presenting the historic Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1, annex II). It will help us make better decisions that safeguard the interests and needs of future generations.
The Summit of the Future presents a crucial opportunity to get things right for both present and future generations. At a time of profound global change, we need to recommit to multilateral collaboration in tackling the world’s most pressing issues, such as climate change, gender inequality and poverty, and collectively maintain a laser-sharp focus on the long-term challenges that demand urgent action. The Summit is a chance to commit to strengthening the multilateral system based on the international rule of law, while also pursuing necessary reforms to ensure that it is fit for purpose, effective, responsive, inclusive and able to withstand future challenges.
We should not forget what constitutes the fundamental principles of the United Nations architecture and its pillars of peace, security, development, human rights
The Pact for the Future clearly delivers on essential elements that are important to countries with particular vulnerabilities in such areas as water management and food security. As a Kingdom uniquely positioned on two continents and with a proven history of dealing with water, we are pleased to see that the Pact effectively addresses elements that are also crucial to small island developing States. We are also pleased that the Pact emphasizes the need for continuous learning and exchange.
From defending ourselves against the sea with the Delta Works project to creating new land like the province of Flevoland, the history of our Kingdom is a testament to the power of collaboration and learning. Of course, water offers many opportunities and supports thriving economic sectors like tourism in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, where our crystal-blue waters attract many visitors.
The Pact for the Future, supplemented by the Declaration on Future Generations, is another major step forward in making our multilateral system fit for the future. We now have the opportunity to prove that we can pass on a better, fairer —
I invite Her Excellency Ms. Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, to address the Assembly.
Today the world faces significant challenges: geopolitical rivalries, a gloomy economic recovery and climate and energy crises. We can address that issue only through the paradigm of collaboration. Sadly, we are seeing the opposite. Trust in multilateralism is fading and its effectiveness continues to be questioned.
Fortunately, this Summit offers an opportunity to restore trust and global solidarity and to chart a new course for the future. Indeed, the choices that we make in the Hall will resonate for generation to come. For Indonesia, there are three strategic objectives that must be achieved.
The first is creating a lasting peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war, but also the presence of justice, stability and development. Peace can thrive only if we consistently uphold international law without double standards. In that context, the ongoing genocide by Israel must be stopped immediately. Enough is enough. Palestine’s right to statehood must be fulfilled based on the two-State solution.
The second objective is safeguarding the right to development. There is no option for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development other than to accelerate our collective efforts. The global South has a right to be free from trade, discrimination and debt traps. Gaps must be bridged to ensure that no country is left behind.
The third objective is promoting an inclusive world order. We need a more adaptive, responsive and effective global governance, including by reforming the Security Council and the international financial architecture. We cannot afford to wait any longer. We must push for true and real reform — reform that listens to the voices of developing countries and addresses their concerns.
Let us seize the momentum of this Summit to build a future that we can all be proud of — a future that is just, equitable and sustainable for all humankind. To attain it, the path of the future must not become a set of empty promise promises without tangible result on the ground.
As Minister of State for Government Development and Future, I am honoured to represent the United Arab Emirates at this historic summit.
I would also like to thank Secretary-General António Guterres for his insightful vision for a future of international multilateral cooperation, and to commend the great efforts made by all those who participated in facilitating the negotiations to reach consensus on the adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1).
The United Arab Emirates endorses the statement made by Ms. Robinah Nabbanja, Chair of the Group of 77 and China (see A/79/PV.4), and I am pleased to deliver this statement in our national capacity.
Many conflicts and crises have slowed progress towards achieving international peace and security and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. In the light of those growing challenges, we must focus on the opportunities that international cooperation offers us for a better future for the whole world.
The Emirates Mars Mission, with its Hope probe, has been a successful model for international cooperation, expanding global knowledge in the field of outer space and opening up new scientific horizons and opportunities for young people and the region in general. The current global situation compels us to pool our efforts, agree on tangible solutions and commit to them, in addition to being prepared to face any emerging challenge and working to reaffirm the importance of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international multilateral action. In that regard, the United Arab Emirates would like to emphasize the following three important messages.
First, today’s Summit provides us with an historic opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to international multilateral cooperation so that we can enhance a unified response to future common challenges. No country can confront current crises alone, which makes the Summit an opportunity not to be missed to agree on vision of a shared future based on the principles of the United Nations Charter. In the light of our diversity and the differences in our viewpoints, ensuring the success of international multilateral cooperation requires dealing in a practical and flexible manner. At the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, the ability of international multilateral action to achieve effective and bold results for a better future for humankind was embodied in the agreement adopted by 198 States.
Secondly, the United Arab Emirates believes that preparing for the future requires the safe use and utilization of emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, in a way that enhances the principles of tolerance, inclusiveness and cooperation. With regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we must take advantage of the potential and opportunities provided by advanced technologies to accelerate the achievement of those Goals and address the challenges that hinder them. Emerging technologies can also be used to deepen common understanding, promote tolerance and combat hate speech. Furthermore, innovation, creativity and cooperation in the field of digital technology among Governments and key stakeholders and parties contribute to building a safe digital future that is available to all and leaves no one behind. In that regard, the United Arab Emirates stresses its commitment to achieving the vision of the future outlined in the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I).
I invite His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to address the Assembly.
Prince Al Saud (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I should like to thank all the facilitators for their efforts and cooperation with Member States with a view to achieving consensus on the outcome document and its annexes. The Kingdom was pleased to participate effectively in the negotiations to draft the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), believing that it represents an opportunity to change our reality for the better and emphasizing the importance of developing multilateral action to be more effective and influential in addressing the challenges of the present and the future in a way that enhances peace and security and supports sustainable development for future generations.
We hope that the Pact for the Future will return the international community to its basic principles, laws and universal norms, free from the wars and geopolitical tensions that have doubled the development gaps among countries, weakened ties among peoples and harmed the credibility of international institutions. However, achieving that will require redoubled efforts to confront crises in a comprehensive manner and to keep pace with the challenges and needs of the peoples and countries of the world.
We look forward to the Pact generating a qualitative shift in multilateral action; contributing to the establishment of contemporary foundations for a fair, just and responsive international system; stimulating the rapid achievement of sustainable development goals; meeting the needs of all countries, especially developing countries; promoting the bridging of the digital divide; and supporting emerging economies and their role in strengthening the global financial system.
We stress the Kingdom’s support for the vital role of the United Nations in establishing international rules and norms and fostering collective action, but if we wish to achieve a brighter future we must reform the United Nations system as a matter of urgency. We must ensure that the Organization is capable of shouldering its responsibility to address the challenges that undermine international peace and security and hinder development pathways. The urgent need for fundamental reforms in international institutions is clearly evident through their failure to end the humanitarian catastrophe of Palestine and their inability to hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their violations. Furthermore, the continued international failures to establish peace worldwide, and particularly in resolving the Middle East conflict, will put the Pact for the Future to the test. Security and stability are the solid foundation for any cooperation aimed at achieving development.
Turning to climate change, my country emphasizes the importance of cooperation in addressing its impacts in a diversified, context-specific approach tailored to the capacities and circumstances of each and every region and country. Energy transitions must be based on the three areas of energy security, economic development and climate change mitigation, without compromising any of those elements. In line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, my country is pursuing its efforts in that direction.
My country is determined to pursue its efforts to achieve the objectives enshrined in the Pact for the Future in alignment with its ambitious development plan, Vision 2030 and its approach to enhancing aspects of cooperation and international collective action. We shall make every effort to enhance cooperation and establish common global values. We hope that our collective efforts will allow us to uphold the values of national sovereignty and authentic cultural identity in an environment of mutual respect in order to build a better future for current and future generations.
I now invite Her Excellency Ms. Luminița-Teodora Odobescu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania, to address the Assembly.
It is always the right time to think about the future. Today is the right time to start working for it and to work on upgrading the United Nations to that end. Romania’s vision is clear. The pillars of our work — peace, human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — are more needed and valid than ever. The international rules-based order, which is under attack, should be at the core of our actions. We need global solutions to the global challenges of climate change, digital transition and disinformation. Now, how can we, together, better serve the needs and aspirations of future generations?
First and foremost, the imperative for all its Members is to respect international law and the principles and the objectives on which the United Nations was built. It is a question of credibility and it is the most basic commitment we have been entrusted with by our citizens. The aggression against Ukraine is a very painful reminder of that. Our societies are in need of peace. Wars, violence and human rights crises are erasing human dignity, weakening economies and ruining years of development. The solutions to those threats need to be rooted in the principles of international human rights and the rule of law. Accountability comes first. We need to ensure that aggression does not remain unpunished by the global community, especially when we speak about the crime of aggression. Romania supports international efforts to address that issue.
Secondly, we must never lose sight of tomorrow. This Summit and its outcomes are already a big step towards upgrading our work. The young generations need a healthy planet. Urgent action is needed to address critical challenges arising from climate change. We also need to make better use of our opportunities by focusing more on education and by making the best and the right use of the digital transition. Technology is neutral. It is the purpose to which it is put to use that makes it wrong or right. We can use technology to support medical sector innovation or ease our struggle to fight climate change; contrarily, one can misuse technology for hate speech and disinformation. That is why ensuring a human-centric approach is crucial and we must secure a free, open and secure cyberspace.
We need to make our work more accessible and always seek to more deeply engage civil society. That creates more legitimacy and more trust. It is a healthy reflex that can only bring benefits. We need better communication. In these deeply polarized times, people seek positive sources of identity. They seek to feel represented. Communication is key to connecting people around the world, especially since United Nations projects bear a unique value of universality. We must never lose sight of prevention. Whether it is linked to peace or protecting our planet, prevention is key.
All of those elements factor into the reconnection we are seeking with our societies, and there is no other global organization to deliver them. It is now up to us
I now invite His Excellency Mr. Valdrack Ludwing Jaentschke Whitaker, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nicaragua, to address the Assembly.
It is an honour to convey the greetings of our President, Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra, and our Vice President, Comrade Rosario Murillo Zambrana, to all those present. We offer our warmest congratulations to Mr. Yang on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session. His experience and well-known leadership guarantee the success of our deliberations. It is a source of great pride to have a brother from the African continent guiding our work this year.
The Government of Nicaragua appreciates the convening of the Summit of the Future to discuss solutions and create a better future in the search to accelerate efforts in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the eradication of poverty. Developing countries continue to work on sustainable and innovative solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals amidst multiple economic crises, the negative impacts of climate change, imbalance and inequality in access to technological advances and many other emerging challenges.
It is worrisome that our developing countries continue to face the ravages of crises produced primarily by a selfish and inhumane economic model that hinders the development of our peoples, thereby further increasing extreme poverty, hunger and inequalities throughout the planet. To date, the countries that make up the global South have neither seen nor received an adequate or fair response from developed countries with respect to the commitments they have made, whereby they must begin to respond to their historical responsibilities for the creation of the unjust conditions that they alone have generated and the inequalities they have perpetuated, with sometimes irreversible impacts on the planet. Beginning by recognizing those responsibilities and establishing a clear path towards fair reparations would allow us to address and eradicate such consequences as extreme poverty, inequality and political tensions, and thus to progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
As we talk of obstacles to achieving a better future for our people, more than 30 countries — comprising more than a third of the world’s population — suffer every day from the imposition of illegal unilateral coercive measures. The negative consequences of those arbitrary and illegal actions for the development of that third of the world’s population are evident. We must adopt a clear, unequivocal and unconditional commitment to promoting the right to development of all peoples under equal conditions. We must urgently undertake collective action to strengthen international governance and inclusive multilateralism in order to increase cooperation with developing countries and enhance the flow of official assistance, technology transfer and capacity-building, among others.
We meet here today not only to talk about the future, but also to build it collectively. We need a global political pact to forge that common future, consolidating the multipolar world under construction, based on cooperation and not on aggression, and on unrestricted respect for international law and the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples; a multipolar world that creates peace and well- being without exclusions or impositions of any kind; a world that recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to a free, sovereign and independent State of its own.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Vince Henderson, Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy of the Commonwealth of Dominica, to address the Assembly.
The Commonwealth of Dominica welcomes this convening of the Summit of the Future, where we also welcome the Pact for the Future, in combination with the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1). Indeed, the co-facilitators deserve high praise for the dedication that they have shown in reaching consensus on those very demanding and equally important topics. Let there be no doubt that if there was any time for world leaders to coalesce and close ranks around multilateral fixes that will deliver a better tomorrow, that time is now.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was set in what, looking back today, seems like a completely different world. The convulsions that have upset the status quo of yesteryear seem to be prime candidates for explanations of why attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been so unsatisfactory. However, the midpoint to any goal worth struggling for is a milestone. For example, the commitment to leaving no country behind in the pursuit and, indeed, attainment of the SDGs was a paradigm shift of great value to many other lines that facilitate exclusion.
Be that as it may, we are now past the midpoint towards the attainment of those same SDGs. Bold actions to deliver the promises made are what it will take; bold actions are therefore what must be taken. Inequality that characterizes the social distribution of valuable goods and services in such a manner and to such a degree as to divide humankind into the haves, on the one hand, and the have nots, on the other, must be left on the dust heap of history — the sooner the better.
That, by the way, is one reason why the Global Digital Compact is so critical. It promises to help bring equity into the social distribution of digital technologies, which are such a critical input into so much economic value being created today. We say “help” because we realize that if history has taught us any lesson at all, where the fight for equality is concerned it is that equality is not achieved by automatic means and attained forever. Equality is a distinctively human value and a superbly human pursuit, and its pursuit, and especially its maintenance, have to be the unending obsession of men and women of good will.
Dominica having attained political independence in 1978, making our normative freedom of very short duration indeed, especially when compared to our overly long nightmare of conquest, colonization, slavery and neocolonialism, securing equality and standards of dignity for all our citizens was a gargantuan task. In fact, it is still unfinished business. However, we have used our sovereignty and drawn on our history to commit ourselves to healing the grievous injuries that history has inflicted upon us. With the support of our multilateral partners, we have pointed our spearheads at and leaned into the fight to eradicate poverty from among our people.
Our fight to eradicate poverty has been multi-pronged and multidimensional because poverty is a mighty foe. We have targeted the elderly, the uninsured, women and the differently able, for example, with caring services, supportive services, housing services, basic health facilities and inclusion. We have targeted the very young. We have targeted as many as was possible, given our resources.
It would, however, be misleading to give the impression that our effort has not suffered any reversal. Worthy of particular note is the onslaught of tropical weather patterns that visit their fury upon us every hurricane season. However, we are resilient people. In the words of the great Bob Marley, we are the survivors and as long as we are here, we will fight for a more equitable world and a more peaceful world.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has the honour to take the floor on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations.
When we agreed on the modalities of the Summit for the Future, we were conscious that the challenges we were facing at that time, which have only deepened, were interconnected. We also recognized that through enhanced solidarity and international cooperation, and through a reinvigorated and truly inclusive multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, we had the potential to not just meet but to overcome the challenges of both the present and the future.
Paradoxically, at a time when increasing global interconnectedness demands greater pluralism, the world is witnessing a growing resort to unilateralism. That tendency, marked by isolationist and arbitrary actions — including the imposition of unilateral coercive measures or the attempt to replace international law with an alleged rules-based order — is undermining critical efforts to address common and global challenges. We assert that true multilateralism and a non-double standard application of the principles of the founding Charter of United Nations are at the core of international relations and are necessary for peaceful coexistence among nations.
Throughout the negotiations on the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), we stressed the importance of recommitting ourselves to both the letter and the spirit of the United Nations Charter, on the understanding that it was crucial that we committed ourselves to strengthening multilateralism and preserving our Organization’s intergovernmental nature, refraining from the growing tendency to replace, minimize or equate the central role of States with that of non-State actors, most of which represent the interests of the global North.
There will be no future without peace and there will be no peace without development, which requires, among other things, ensuring the realization of the inalienable right to self-determination for people living under foreign and colonial occupation. The question of Palestine and the human tragedy unfolding in the Gaza Strip are a stark reminder of the vital importance of that timeless principle. As we advance towards the elimination of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, it is our moral and ethical duty to conclude the pending decolonization processes around the world.
In that context, and as we look to the future, we reiterate our urgent call for a ceasefire in Gaza, justice and an end to the illegal Israeli occupation. We also call for the Security Council to fully shoulder its responsibilities, including by favourably reconsidering the question of Palestine’s application for full membership of the United Nations. Remaining silent is not an option, as it will only continue to embolden the occupying Power as it persists in the commission of its grave breaches of international law in all impunity.
In addition to living in peace, our people deserve to live well, and in that sense we are convinced that the right to development must be the driving force and object of our Organization. Our future depends on ensuring that our nations, particularly those of the global South, get back on track towards the timely achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We must therefore advance towards reform of the international financial architecture, currently designed to perpetuate a model of domination and dependence, and put an end to the use of unilateral coercive measures.
It is crucial to ensure a balanced realization of the three pillars of the United Nations, as well as to establish a peaceful, prosperous, just and equitable world order,
I conclude by reaffirming our full commitment to the Charter of the United Nations —
I invite His Excellency Mr. Eduardo Enrique Reina García, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Honduras, to address the Assembly.
From the very beginning, the purposes and principles of our Organization’s founding Charter were inspired by the possibility of achieving a hopeful future for humankind, which in those dire times had been struck down by war, desolation and death.
Today Honduras firmly believes that a better world with opportunities for all is possible and, consistent with our aspirations, we remain convinced that reaffirming international peace and security is undoubtedly a necessary standard for peaceful coexistence among nations. Honduras appears at this Summit of the Future motivated by its aspiration to contribute to the achievement of the premises contemplated in the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), since it not only fully endorses them but also because they coincide with the postulates of the social democracy plans of the Administration of the President of Honduras, Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento.
President Castro Sarmiento has also warned of the threat that external debt poses to our States and pointed to the need to build a new international financial architecture oriented towards productive development with social inclusion. For our part, we believe that this is the ideal time for the Secretary-General to promote a summit aimed at reaffirming international peace and security within the framework of the Pact for the Future in the face of great tragedies like that of the Palestinian people. Therefore, it is necessary to reaffirm the need to promote constructive dialogue and establish a road map that will help us to strengthen dialogue and promote greater stability in the international order.
That is why we consider it urgent to promote the construction of a society with gender equality in order to achieve true social justice. In that same context, we must promote a reform of the United Nations system that makes the Security Council more democratic in order to re-establish respect for international law and outline a new political and economic world order that will prevent ongoing threats to the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples. Today more than ever, respect for those principles is critical to achieving international peace.
Therefore, in addition to the commitment we have assumed at this Summit, we must immediately face those challenges to renew established principles through dialogue, negotiation and the restoration of our peoples’ trust in the Organization. Those great challenges include the protection of the environment, the fight against corruption, the struggle to build institutions and the transformation of the planet. A future of hope is in our hands and consolidating international peace and security is possible as long as there is political will. As Members of our Organization, we are striving to defend multilateralism and prevent unilateralism prevails in the Organization. We are working to build a more humane, more collective and more connected world that helps to fight poverty throughout the world.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Alva Romanus Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs of Saint Lucia, to address the Assembly.
Victor Hugo said that “there is nothing in the world more powerful than an idea whose time has come”. The idea that underpins the overarching purpose of this Summit — multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow — is not only one born of the urgent demands of the cascading crises of our time, but it is the core tenet of this global assembly of nations. The idea that we must forge a new international consensus to deliver a better present and safeguard the future is a categorical imperative. The time has come.
Saint Lucia continues to diligently chart its sustainable development path at a time when the world faces many global risks and challenges, as well as remarkable opportunities. We remain firm believers in the power of multilateralism and the hope it offers to deliver actions that address the critical priorities of our times. Those solutions require both a unified and a resolute international community and an efficient multilateral system. The time has come.
The power of the covenant of the future lies not in the text we have adopted, but in its application — in the implementation of its commitments when we turn those words into action. We have the power to fundamentally address the systematic challenges that have plagued the multilateral system for decades. We have the power to transform global governance to respond to a rapidly changing global environment. The time has come.
Saint Lucia’s aspirations for the future are focused on ensuring meaningful sustainable development, with a deliberate emphasis on people at the centre of development and on creating opportunities for our young people. A Ministry of the Youth Economy has been created to drive resilient prosperity, in keeping with our development strategy aimed at delivering economic growth, diversification and decent work. We are committed to doing our part and look to the multilateral system for the necessary support. The time has come.
Our most valiant national efforts and ambitions continue to be tempered by economic, social, environmental and geopolitical threats that are so immense they can be ameliorated only by a re-energized, enabling environment that gives meaningful effect to our sustainable development. The time has come.
Despite our vulnerability to external shocks and our fragile land and marine ecosystems, which continue to be ravaged by the impacts of the climate crisis, Saint Lucia continues to be solutions-focused. Small island developing States (SIDS) have provided the international community with a new 10-year action plan in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, which provides an action-oriented blueprint to meet the global ambition of building more resilient economies and fostering prosperous and sustainable SIDS societies. The time has come.
In our interdependent world, no country can resolve global issues alone. The time has come for all partners to consider ways in which the benefits and burdens of a globalized world can be more fairly shared across countries and populations. The time has come for us to not only truly reinvent the structures, but also restore the trust needed for effective global governance. The time has come for us to deepen partnerships and place solidarity at the centre of international cooperation.
At the outset, allow me to express our profound gratitude to the co-facilitators, Germany and our own Namibia, for masterfully steering the work that led to the adoption of the bold and ambitious Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). While recognizing the many challenges and constraints that our Organization faces, we indeed agree that we are at a moment of hope and opportunity. We are all by now acutely aware of the risks that the erosion of multilateralism entails and the cost of inaction.
We are grateful for the Secretary-General’s contribution and the elaboration of the landmark report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), as well as the various thematic policy briefs in response to the request of world leaders. The ideas and insights contained in that report offered a useful basis for discussions among Member States. We cannot thank him enough for sharing his vision for a better, more integrated, more impactful and more networked multilateralism. It is imperative, urgent and crucial that we achieve consensus on a set of measures that can advance global governance that is fit for the future. Djibouti, and indeed African countries, shared with United Nations Member States our vision for our continent’s renaissance and a road map for realizing it. We worked off that same map while engaging in negotiations on the Summit of the Future with Member States. The ambition we have is that of a United Nations that plays a leading and strengthened role. We envision the reform of global governance to be bold and transformative. The international financial architecture must address existing inequities and be better aligned with today’s world. (spoke in French) The debt burden of African countries is growing unsustainably and aggravated by unfair trade regimes and political conditionalities that have imposed enormous restrictions on the political and fiscal space of African States. The response to multiple recent crises has been woefully inadequate, given the urgency and scope of the problems. The global financial system, according to Secretary-General António Guterres, has failed to provide a global safety net for developing countries. The international financial institutions must mobilize adequate financing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, equitably protect countries from systemic shocks and make the financial system more stable. If we wish to restore the trust, we must rethink and redefine global governance to serve as a framework for creating a more equitable, fair and effective multilateral system. Africa is still seriously underrepresented in many international financial organizations. It has the largest number of members in International Monetary Fund programmes but controls only 6.5 per cent of the votes. At the World Bank, it controls only 11 per cent of the Bank’s shares. (spoke in English) The past decades have aggravated inequality among nations. We must collectively recommit to the Charter of the United Nations, in particular its purposes and principles, and reaffirm the primacy of conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes. We must reject power politics and promote adherence to the Charter — specifically, respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence of United Nations Member States — in our efforts to maintain international peace and security. The concerns that motivated the drafting of the Charter remain salient today, over seven decades later. The eruption of new The reform of the Security Council must be accelerated as part of the new order we are aiming for to make that organ more representative and rectify the injustice done to Africa and other regional groups.
Ms. Ataeva (Turkmenistan), Vice-President, took the Chair.
I invite Her Excellency Ms. Zeina Toukan, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to address the Assembly.
Jordan welcomes the adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1), and the opportunity for us to galvanize international commitments and adopt a solid and clear road map that will help us work together effectively to accelerate actions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackle critical challenges while preparing for a more resilient future for generations to come.
Allow me here to commend the efforts of the co-facilitators for leading the process that got us here today and bringing the Pact successfully to a conclusion.
The clock is ticking, with only six more years to go on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and trillions of dollars’ worth of financing and investments still needed. Multiple crises have had a substantial impact on developing countries’ socioeconomic performance and on their ability to meet the SDGs. The scarring effects of the pandemic, protracted crises, geopolitical tensions and growing climate chaos are hitting the global development agenda really hard. And whilst performance on the SDGs varies by country and region, just like the 17 SDGs themselves, performance across the globe is also integrated and delayed action within a single country affects the overall outcomes. Global development must therefore be balanced if it is to be more effective and impactful. In that respect, allow me to reiterate a few points.
We must take concrete and tangible steps for countries and people to regain trust in the multilateral system and international cooperation. We now have an opportunity to achieve more effectiveness, equity and inclusiveness in the multilateral system that reflects the realities of today and delivers for the future. We must enhance financing for development to deliver scale and impact. Concessional, innovative and predictable financing modalities are still urgently needed to fuel the development engine and create a growth momentum.
The international financing architecture must be a tool to remedy disproportionate burdens, not exacerbate their disparities. Reforming the multilateral financial system to become more responsive and equitable is still needed to enhance the voice of developing countries in global governance, build resilience, respond to economic and climate shocks and invest in sustainable development while producing timely results. Only by overcoming disparities can we not only harness the benefits of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, but also manage risks in a way that leaves no one behind. The adoption of the Global Digital Compact represents a new milestone for the global digital ecosystem and has the potential to create a more inclusive and effective governance system within that sphere.
Young people deserve a better future — a future of justice, peace and opportunities. With the adoption of the Declaration on Future Generations, efforts should continue to be geared towards creating the platforms necessary to expand and strengthen youth participation in decision-making processes, at both the country and the global levels, and to better utilize them in shaping the future they aspire to.
A just and lasting peace is the only path to end that conflict once and for all — a peace that will ensure a viable and independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It is therefore important to renew commitments to the Charter of the United Nations so as to ensure that there are no double standards in adhering to international law and international humanitarian law.
We must strive to revitalize and strengthen the work of the General Assembly and focus on reforming the Security Council in a way that reflects the realities of today’s work and its role in promoting international peace and security, thereby ensuring the effectiveness and ability of those organs to fulfil their mandates.
This Summit is our chance to get back on track. To deliver on it, we need to stay united. Jordan looks forward to being part of those collective efforts to achieve the desired goals.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, to address the Assembly.
Humankind today stands at an inflection point that is mainly of our own making. Advances in technology and innovation have brought the world closer together, yet misinformation and disinformation have pushed us further apart. The world economy and global wealth are expanding, yet inequality and injustice persist. Threats to peace and to the environment are present everywhere, but so too are ideas to address them.
The Summit of the Future offers us the hope to steer our course towards a better future. With this Summit, we are presented with an opportunity to forge not just the future we want but the future that humankind needs. What kind of future am I talking about?
First is a future where all can be protected, and that protection starts with heeding the call in the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) for a fundamental shift in the way we approach growth. Thailand’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, our locally driven, people-centred and planet-centric development approach, prioritizes the sustainable use of our planet’s resources and teaches us to live harmoniously and in balance with nature, because without sustainability there is no future.
However, sustainable development can never be realized in the midst of discrimination and division or through the ravages of conflict. To that end, Thailand is fully committed to the reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, so that the Organization can truly represent the interests of all countries and the Council will be more effective in maintaining international peace and security. We also need to overcome the challenges of illicit drugs and transnational crime, including cybercrime. We will work with all partners to enhance the United Nations role as an anchor for peace and sustainability that takes the interests of developing countries into account.
Second is a future where all can prosper. At the heart of prosperity is equitable access to resources. Quality education, health care and employment opportunities must be readily available to all. That also includes bridging the gender gap and the digital divide to ensure that technologies contribute to inclusive prosperity. Therefore,
Further, Thailand recognizes that human rights are the foundation on which to build a prosperous future for all. It is for that reason that we have presented our candidature for the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2025-2027. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has equal access to the fundamentals they need to prosper and enhance their livelihoods. As we look towards the future, we must ensure that no one and no country is left behind.
Third is a future that is promising for all. That begins with recognizing the role of young people, the true bearers of change. We must prioritize their engagement, empower their voices and invest in their potential. With that in mind, Thailand is proud to have youth representatives join our national delegation to the General Assembly so that they can actively participate in shaping the future they envision —
I invite His Excellency Mr. Sergei Khomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, to address the Assembly.
The Republic of Belarus welcomes the initiative of Secretary-General António Guterres to convene the Summit of the Future.
We consider today’s event to be an opportunity to revive multilateral cooperation against the backdrop of growing contradictions in global politics. Indeed, the world has become hostage to the selfish approaches of Western countries, based on the desire to ensure their own interests at the expense of the interests of other countries. It is necessary to stop that dangerous dynamic and pull the world back from the brink. That will be possible only with political resolve.
We call on all States to demonstrate such resolve and begin a global dialogue on security in the spirit of San Francisco, the idea of which was expressed by President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko seven years ago. The goal of such a dialogue is to develop common constructive principles for building a new fair multipolar world order. As the Head of the Belarusian State noted in his recent message to the Secretary-General,
“we see the value of the Summit of the Future in that it provides us with another chance to agree on joint actions in those areas where possible”.
We are convinced that even in the current difficult situation, United Nations Member States can and should effectively address common challenges and threats. We hope that the Summit of the Future will give additional impetus in that direction, especially in those areas in which it is directly involved. Moreover, such impetus is necessary against the background of weak intermediate results in the global implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. In that regard, allow me to say a few words about the work being done in our country in that area.
In general, Belarus has achieved significant success. Our achievements are due to two factors. First, Belarus is sincerely committed to sustainable development and, as a result, carries out targeted work to implement its international obligations. Secondly, we have built a strong, socially oriented State that pursues an effective policy in the interests of the people — a State for the people, a State for the sake of the people. Our successes are confirmed by international ratings. The pace of our country’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is almost 80 per cent. We hold a respectable thirtieth place internationally in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. According to reports of the United Nations Development Programme, in recent years Belarus has consistently been included in the category of States with a very high level of human development.
Belarus is confidently moving forward, despite the enormous obstacles that Western countries have created for us through unprecedented sanctions. There is no doubt that sanctions are among the most serious obstacles to sustainable development on the planet. Sanctions violate the Charter of the United Nations. Sanctions undermine food and environmental security, especially in the least developed countries. Sanctions limit access to financial and commodity markets and transport infrastructure. Sanctions are a dead end. Ultimately, sanctions are contrary to common sense. Due to the ever-growing interdependence on the planet, sanctions have a global negative effect and affect everyone, including their initiators. One of the most important results of the Summit should be the conclusion that a civilized future is categorically incompatible with illegal sanctions.
I wish to raise one other pressing issue. Individual States spend billions on the purchase and supply of weapons to fuel conflicts. Why should they not spend those funds on eradicating hunger and poverty and achieving other Sustainable Development Goals in those countries that are in particular need of help? After all —
I invite His Excellency Mr. Osman Saleh Mohammed, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea, to address the Assembly.
At the outset, allow me to express our appreciation to the co-facilitators of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1). I also extend my gratitude to Secretary-General António Guterres for convening this crucial Summit of the Future.
In an increasingly interconnected world, no nation can stand alone in the face of our shared challenges. This gathering is a testament to our collective commitment to addressing the profound challenges facing our world today and to shaping a future that is just, sustainable and inclusive for all. We must work together, guided by the principles of mutual respect, equity and international cooperation.
The United Nations remains the primary forum for such collaboration, where every nation, regardless of size or power, has an equal voice. Respect for national sovereignty and the right to self-determination are fundamental principles that must underpin our international order. It is a prerogative of all nations to pursue their own development paths, free from external interference and unilateral coercive economic measures. True partnership should be rooted in equality and respect, not in dominance and imposition. Eritrea reaffirms it is unwavering support for genuine multilateralism and intergovernmental processes as a cornerstone of our global governance system.
It cannot be emphasized strongly enough that peace and security are prerequisites for sustainable development. At the global, regional and subregional levels, we are witnessing first-hand the devastating impacts of conflicts and instability. The international community should resort to peaceful resolution, prioritizing diplomacy over force. To collectively address global challenges, international governance institutions must be reformed to be more inclusive, representative and accountable. That includes reforming the Security Council, democratizing international financial institutions and ensuring that the voices of developing countries are heard and respected. We are utterly dismayed that the efforts of Member States, especially countries from the global South, were not able to ensure the inclusion of strong language on the much-needed reform of the current international financial architecture.
Eritrea is strongly committed to the principles of sustainable development and to combating the existential threats posed by climate change. As a country on the front line of climate impacts, we understand the urgent need for action and we call for enhanced global solidarity, particularly in supporting vulnerable nations through —
I invite Her Excellency Ms. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia, to address the Assembly.
Seventy-nine years ago, we established the United Nations, agreeing on a vision to protect all of the world’s peoples and the sovereignty of all nations — a vision for a world where no country dominates and no country is dominated. Yet those ideals endure more in promise than in practice. Our shared challenges are only getting bigger, but trust that the United Nations system can deliver for everyone continues to decline.
As our challenges evolve, the United Nations has not evolved with them. The Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) is a sign of what we can still achieve together, but our inability to agree on so many issues prevents us from addressing today’s challenges. We need to reform the United Nations system, but reform cannot become a means for disruptors to undermine elements of the United Nations that protect us all. It must be about meeting the needs of all countries, including small and medium- sized countries, rather than increasing the power of a few. We need a reformed Security Council that includes representation from Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific, and where small States see their interests reflected and voices heard. We need stronger peacebuilding and conflict-prevention architecture, and we need to strengthen resolve to achieve peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the Sudan.
Last month, we marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, a reminder of a time when the international community agreed rules to limit human suffering in conflict. We are sure falling short of that commitment, with 2024 shaping up to be the deadliest year on record for humanitarian personnel. Australia has listened to humanitarian leaders’ calls for greater protection of aid workers and we are taking action. This week, we are convening ministers and humanitarian leaders to begin work on a new declaration for the protection of humanitarian personnel, just as we are listening to our friends in the developing world, and we are taking action.
With just over five years to 2030, we are falling behind collectively on the Sustainable Development Goals. Over a third of them are stalled or regressing. Climate change is upending development gains and finance targets are not being met.
Australia has listened to calls from Pacific Island nations for breakthroughs on climate change, and together we have taken action. Australia and Tuvalu’s Falepili Union is the first time two nations have recognized in a legally binding treaty continuing statehood and sovereignty, notwithstanding the impacts of climate change-related sea level rise.
Australia has listened to calls to advance the multidimensional vulnerability index and the Bridgetown Initiative for the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture, and we have taken action. We will offer climate-resilient debt clauses in our sovereign loans by the end of 2025 to help developing countries build economic resilience in the face of climate change and other shocks, resist coercion and focus on delivering for their citizens.
Australia has listened to calls to lessen the digital divide and we have taken action. We are building sustainable South-South connectivity via submarine cables across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
In that and in many other ways, Australia is working to deliver on the Pact for the Future and we will continue to act because the United Nations cannot reform itself. This is a job for all of us, collectively, as Member States. It is up to us — our Summit, our United Nations, our future.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Attaf, Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, to address the Assembly.
Algeria warmly welcomes the convening of our Summit of the Future. We highly value the positive momentum that accompanied the implementation of this valuable initiative by the Secretary-General. That momentum means persistent hope that our Organization will regain the initiative and assume its role as a comprehensive framework for formulating the necessary consensus among Member States in addressing the various challenges facing them.
Today more than ever, the international community is in dire need of a collective awakening to address the gravity of the current situation. Today more than ever, it must undertake a joint effort to confront the threats aimed at it from every direction, be they crises and wars that are deteriorating and growing day after day, or development gaps that have been growing and widening, or climate threats and environmental risks that have reached unprecedented levels.
From that perspective, Algeria welcomes the qualitative outcomes of our Summit. We are committed to contributing to the implementation of its outcomes. My country also stresses the critical need for meaningful initiatives to restore the lost balance in international relations in all their political, economic and social dimensions. The loss of that equilibrium is itself the most significant source of the tensions, disturbances and imbalances that accompany the governance of international relations, especially in view of the marginalization of developing countries, in particular the countries of our African continent, not only in the Security Council but also in other international financial, monetary and banking institutions in general.
Just as we are convinced that the United Nations system is irreplaceable and indispensable, we are also certain that it needs profound reform to ensure its continuity and ability to adapt to the challenges and requirements of our time in all their manifestations. Such reform must restore the Organization’s vital role as the beating heart of global diplomacy and international multilateral action and enable it to fulfil the aspirations of present and future generations in the most complete, just and optimal way.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Bakhtiyor Saidov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to address the Assembly.
First of all, allow me to extend our deepest gratitude to Secretary-General António Guterres for organizing this pivotal Summit.
This forum is both timely and extremely important. Our world stands at a critical juncture, marked by global instability and uncertainty. In such a defining moment, we must reflect on the legacy that we will leave for future generations. To effectively address the challenges before us, we must reform global governance systems and
Uzbekistan fully supports the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). We are committed to implementing its principles, in collaboration with our partners. Under the leadership of the President of Uzbekistan, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, we are consistently implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. Uzbekistan has made substantial progress in reducing poverty, promoting gender equality and advancing climate resilience. We are determined to double our gross domestic product by 2030 and achieve upper middle-income status.
Stability and openness are the hallmarks of modern Central Asia. Today our region faces significant challenges affecting our stability and development. Digital technologies are shaping our future. We must not allow the digital transition to become a new source of global inequality. Uzbekistan fully supports the Secretary- General’s initiative for an annual digital cooperation forum and the establishment of the High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.
Climate change demands urgent and collective action. Central Asia has long faced the impacts of global warming caused by water scarcity, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. The Aral Sea disaster continues to have a significant impact on the ecosystems of all States of the region. Uzbekistan is undertaking substantial measures to enhance environmental sustainability. In 2025, we plan to organize a climate forum in Samarkand and invite everyone to actively participate in that event.
We have made tangible progress in advancing gender equality, protecting the rights and interests of women. Uzbekistan is among the top five countries that have achieved the greatest success in implementing reforms in that field.
Youth is the foundation of our shared future. Human development is a key focus of our strategy for building a new Uzbekistan. Our country ranks among the top 10 States in implementing the United Nations Youth Strategy 2030. We will continue to prioritize youth development in alignment with the United Nations Strategy.
The development of transport corridors is a crucial step towards accessing global markets. Central Asia is once again becoming a key transportation hub between East and West. Together with our partners, we are creating modern transportation routes and implementing projects to access global markets. One of the key projects is the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway, which will provide access to international ports and is significant to the region’s economic development.
Lastly, Afghanistan remains a critical concern. That country is an integral part of Central Asia. Uzbekistan is engaged in pragmatic efforts to support Afghanistan’s recovery and development. We emphasize the United Nations crucial role in coordinating international approaches to that issue.
The Summit of the Future is taking place at a time of profound changes. Uzbekistan is committed to active multilateral engagement and supporting the central role of the United Nations in achieving our common goals.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, to address the Assembly.
I would like to start with the fact that since the conclusion of the Second World War, the security situation of the world is now at its most deteriorated, the threat of terror has been increasing, illegal migratory flows are posing a huge challenge to many countries, and there are wars or armed conflicts going on in more than 30 places in the world.
The saddest thing is that the international liberal mainstream has made the word “peace” a swear word, at least in Europe. European politicians usually argue in favour of diplomacy and peaceful solutions for certain wars if they are far from Europe. But nowadays, unfortunately, a war is going on in Europe and those who argue in favour of peace are immediately stigmatized, attacked and criticized.
If things continue as they have been going, the future will be really sad. There are two sad scenarios ahead of us. Either the risk of the outbreak of a third world war is becoming more and more serious, or the world is heading towards an age where it will again be divided into blocs. I come from Hungary in Central Europe, a region that suffered a lot in the age when the world was divided into blocs. We lost four decades of our lives at that time, and I do believe that it is no wonder after this that we do not want that age, the age of the world being divided into blocs, to come back.
We want the next decades to be characterized by connectivity and fair international cooperation, because unlike when the world was divided into blocs, when the times were about connectivity we had a really great experience. It was even realistic to speak about the chance of Eurasian cooperation from Lisbon to Vladivostok. If those times could come back, I think the whole world would profit greatly from it.
I do believe that the United Nations should play a huge role to that direction, because, as I should like to remind everyone, the United Nations was not established to be a group of like-minded countries. The United Nations was established as a platform where everyone can talk to everyone about everything. And I do believe that the United Nations should recover that function, because my question is: Where should we speak about peace if not here? Where should countries that are in a hostile situation with each other talk to each other if not here? What would the other platform be? What would the other venue be? Therefore, we do not accept any kind of restriction on whom to meet or whom not to meet, and which topic is to be discussed or which topic is not to be discussed.
We Hungarians are a peace-loving Central European nation and what I can promise is the following. We Hungarians will do our best to make the coming period, the future, an age of peace where international cooperation is fair and peaceful, where the word “peace” is not a swear word, and where no one who stands up for peace is stigmatized.
I invite Her Excellency Ms. Rafaravavitafika Rasata, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Madagascar, to address the Assembly.
It is a great honour for me to extend our most sincere greetings on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Andry Rajoelina, President of the Republic of Madagascar.
It is also a source of pride for the entire Malagasy nation, and particularly for all the young people of Madagascar, to contribute to building our common future. As we chart the course for our future actions, I salute the effective leadership of the co-facilitators, Namibia and Germany, in conducting the negotiations for the
Madagascar endorses the statements made on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and the Group of African States (see A/79/PV.4).
Madagascar is a young country. Two-thirds of the population, or 70.6 per cent of the Malagasy population, are under 30 years old. In Madagascar, young people are aware of their responsibilities and the challenges they face, and we also firmly believe in our ability to provide solutions. This year, to mark Madagascar’s participation in this historic Summit, we launched a vast campaign called “Let us give a voice to the future” in all regions of the country to make the voice of Malagasy youth heard. Our young people shared their vision, defined their priorities and, through the Youth Declaration, called for the inclusion of young people in public policies so that their aspirations for the future are taken into account, their skills are valorised through the promotion of entrepreneurship for job creation, and their participation in decision-making processes and involvement in high-level bodies is guaranteed.
We are all here for one reason — to find solutions for today and tomorrow. Climate change, inequality, armed conflicts, pandemics — all those crises require collective, courageous action for all, leaving no one behind. It is sad to note that, six years from 2030, only 16 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been achieved. If we hope to leave a better world to our descendants, let us dare to take appropriate measures, respect our commitments and join hands to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
Madagascar knows what vulnerability is. We experience the effects of global warming every day. However, let us not lose hope. We believe in the power and trust in the strength of international cooperation. The Summit of the Future is an opportunity to reinvent our collective approach. We have the responsibility and the duty to rethink multilateralism. It must be more inclusive, more equitable and more dynamic so that the needs of vulnerable countries and developing island countries are taken into account. Today more than ever, we must respect the commitments we have made to investing in peace, sustainable development and justice, in particular the Paris Agreement on Climate Change for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate.
Madagascar advocates for international cooperation focused on inclusive actions and a more just and representative multilateral system that takes the interests of future generations into account. The President of the Republic, Mr. Andry Rajoelina, is in the habit of saying that “Africa is not a problem. Africa is the solution”. And the solutions that we wish to put in place to face current challenges must be undertaken with Africa and African youth.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Justin W. Tkatchenko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, to address the Assembly.
We welcome and strongly support the landmark Pact for the Future and its accompanying Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1), adopted yesterday in the General Assembly (see A/79/PV.3). The Pact is complementary to Papua New Guinea’s own Vision 2050, whereby we want to become a middle-income country that is peaceful, prosperous and caring. It also underscores the fact that multilateralism under the United Nations is crucially important to all of humankind. It deserves our strongest support going forward.
As leaders of our peoples and countries, we now need real and genuine action to translate the Pact for the Future and its accompanying outcome documents to benefit
Despite notable strides in recent years in areas such as health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, governance, justice, peace and security, Papua New Guinea recognizes that we can do better to deliver on the SDGs and we are working hard to do so. Improving national leadership through a broad-based and inclusive, people-centred development approach with better national coordination and coherence and strong governance, supported by the effective implementation of our national development priorities road map, known as the Medium-Term Development Plan, is a step in the right direction towards improving our people’s livelihoods going forward.
We need a global financial architecture that puts people’s lives and livelihoods first over profit or self-interest. We remain seriously concerned that the climate finance we need is not happening at speed or scale. In some cases, like in my own country, there is hardly a trickle. We need better support on that front from the multilateral systems established for it.
My Government is now embarking on industrialization through the downstream processing of our natural resources to add value and benefit fairly from our natural assets. We therefore welcome bona fide development partnership that is not detrimental but aligned with our national development priorities. That includes efforts to bridge the digital divide between and within countries, where the sharing of technology, knowledge and technical and capacity-building support should foster national development while preventing its misuse and abuse. That is why we are investing heavily in our information and communications technology sector and therefore supportive of the Global Digital Compact.
The Pact for the Future’s emphasis on the importance of peace and security at all levels to better safeguard humankind is the right decision, especially in a world that is under serious threat from the conflicts and tensions that abound. We must rally together for peace and security to enable us deliver on the promise of the SDGs and the Pact for the Future.
On our part, Papua New Guinea has, as its highest priority, peace and security for our development agenda. We recognize that without peace and security there is no sustainable development. That is why we are committed to the Pact for the Future and its annexes.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Frederick Makamure Shava, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe, to address the Assembly.
I commend Secretary-General António Guterres for his visionary leadership in initiating the Summit of the Future. I also commend the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Republic of Namibia and the Federal Republic of Germany for providing leadership in the drafting of the Pact of the Future (resolution 79/1). The theme of the Summit is both relevant and timely.
The Summit of the Future is an opportunity for us to discuss the old, new and emerging challenges facing the world and to renew our commitment to multilateralism. As we navigate these challenging times, effective global cooperation is imperative if we are to attain sustainable peace and inclusive socioeconomic development.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, including the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, clearly focus on the “what” in terms of goal-setting our commitments. Now it is time for us to focus on
Rallying around the reform of the global governance systems, including global financial institutions, and the Security Council is a fundamental starting point. It is reformed institutions that are fit for contemporary challenges that will assist us, as developing countries, to meet our common goals. It is equally imperative that developed countries provide a comprehensive package of support to enable developing countries to transition to green economies. That must include financial resources, technology transfer and capacity-building initiatives.
Given the current geopolitical contestations and increasing conflicts, it is imperative that the role and capacity of the United Nations in preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution be strengthened. The need to include women and young people in the peace and security agenda cannot be overemphasized. Zimbabwe therefore supports the New Agenda for Peace, as proposed by the Secretary-General, and stands ready to play its part in that regard.
The need for political will is paramount if the implementation of the outcomes of the Summit are to be actualized. It will be critically important to focus on vulnerable countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries like Zimbabwe, and small island developing States, in line with the cardinal principle of leaving no one and no country behind. Success should be measured in terms of the extent to which any intervention reaches those in hard-to-reach areas or who are furthest behind.
Zimbabwe is a relatively youthful nation, with more than 65 per cent of our population below the age of 35. That presents opportunities for economic growth by harnessing the innovativeness and zeal of our youth. Our policies and programmes have been redesigned and strengthened to ensure that young people are key drivers of our social and economic transformation agenda. That includes the establishment of innovation centres at all institutions of higher education, underpinned by a new heritage-based approach to education known as Education 5.0. That approach is enjoying growing success and inculcating a sense —
I invite His Excellency Mr. Touhid Hossain, Adviser for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, to address the Assembly.
I applaud Secretary-General Guterres for convening this historic Summit. Bringing together the most diverse actors and stakeholders to reflect on collective actions is indeed a triumph of multilateralism.
Envisioning the future is exciting yet challenging. In the intensely connected and instantaneous world we live in, the future is fraught with too many unknowns, unknowables and uncertainties. As we speak of securing our common future, we have to be ready to make inconvenient choices and difficult trade-offs and critically question the decisions we take. The world acknowledged all of those in adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as we pledged to create a secure and sustainable future for our descendants based on shared responsibility.
Nearly a decade since the Agenda 2030 was put in place, we note that social and economic inequalities across communities are rising and that poverty and hunger persist, yet we focus more on output than outcome. Humankind is endowed with so many resources and so much knowledge and technology, yet the vast majority of our populations still lack the capacity to cope and progress while wealth abounds to finance almost all global needs. Even though developing countries are ready to pay
Two months back, a remarkable people’s movement in Bangladesh starkly reminded us how 170 million people value their aspirations to freedom, dignity, justice and equality over sheer growth numbers. Drawing on the past five decades of global discourse and development, we may need to truly value the values needed to secure our future: understanding and empathy for people and nature alike, blessing harmony and stability beyond peace and conflict alone, balancing ecology and economy, weighing well-being over profits and rediscovering responsibility.
What is key to me is to rediscover learning beyond the skewed remit of education alone. We need to blend content with values that spark creativity. We also need to democratize digital technology tools, applications and innovations beyond profit. If we fail to do so, many risk being left out in a vast, evolving world of war. I see how people living in deserts, on islands or along coasts without literacy or numeracy can turn their circumstances around. They ask for modest support. Let us indicate how we can shape and reach solutions to those billions on the fringe. At the same time, the wealth of traditional practices and heritage actors and communities deserve to be blended with contemporary knowledge. Let us liberate the potential latent in the entrepreneurship of individuals and enterprises across the developing world, where so much still revolves around the informal economy.
The diversity of nations presented different prospectives that enriched the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1, annex II) and the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I). The guiding principles, elements and suggested actions surely sow the seeds for a shared global undertaking beyond 2030. Bangladesh stands ready to contribute its part beyond this Summit.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Frederick Audley Mitchell, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Public Service of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, to address the Assembly.
As we look around today, there are wars and rumours of war. Some countries have marched into other countries and claimed the space as their own, simply because their troops are standing all over the land. We all ascribe to the Charter of the United Nations provisions on territorial integrity, but the goal, though laudable, has fallen short. We need only ask people from Ukraine to Gaza, Cyprus and the Sudan if they believe that the international system as it is values the Charter and the beliefs therein described. We need only ask Haiti.
At one time, and to some extent today, people invaded or discovered other peoples and nations and claimed them in the name of the Lord. They then decimated the people they met on the land and divided up the spoils. That was the founding principle that allowed millions of African slaves to be transported across the seas as cargo and chattel to small islands, displacing local populations. That is how my fellow Bahamians and I got to be in the place called the Bahamas. We have made it thus far by faith.
Carl Sagan, the American astronomer, has a widespread video that shows the Earth in far relief from outer space. It is a blue dot and he describes that, as far as we know, we are all alone on that blue dot in the loneliness of space. From that standpoint, where there are no boundaries that can be seen, he argues compellingly that that is why we have to work together to resolve the issues of our survival. It is still all that we have. Neil deGrasse Tyson argues that the one thing about science is that whether you believe it or not, it is true. I refer again to the immutable truth that Earth is all we have and we are all in this together, for good or ill.
I said yesterday to one of the world leaders that every time the Caribbean region tries to use the provisions of the market to save ourselves, the response from the powerful is to use their laws and other forms of coercion to ensure that our innovations in the market do not succeed. They often use the moral principle that they are preventing money-laundering, tax evasion or some other invented evil. But morality works both ways; when actions result in penury, poverty and displacement, and we are unable — after all the blandishments and niceties at forums such as this — to get any world leader on the phone, we realize that we are in trouble. Shakespeare wrote the words, “Help me, Cassius, or I sink”.
The nations of the Pacific are facing the existential threat of climate change. Those who are responsible have not stepped up to the plate as they should have, with money and material. The same can be said for the Caribbean. The commitments have been observed more in the breach than in fulfilment. Fifty-one years ago, on 18 September 1973, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas raised its flag here at the United Nations. Then Prime Minister Lynden Pindling committed our country to the Charter and its provisions. We accepted and believe today, under the present Prime Minister Philip Davis, that we have no choice but to believe, subscribe to and support the Charter and to commit ourselves to global governance. We believe and recommit ourselves to the shared nature of the resources of the Earth.
We superintend 100,000 square miles of water. We superintend 4,000 square miles of land. We are about 400,000 people. That is not even the size of a small village in India. We fight, though, for the right to exist in the land that we now occupy and govern. We are tenacious about it. We pay tribute to the people who were there before us and we fight to establish a viable economy that can survive on the moral principle that many nations talk the talk but do not walk the walk.
I end here with a recommitment to this body and to the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). We have no choice. I ask representatives to forgive the circumlocution, but it is what it is. We are confident that humans — all human beings, not some — have a soul, a right to exist and a God-given right to all resources of the Earth, sea and sky. There must be a guiding moral and ethical principle to underline all that we do and say going forward to 2030 and beyond. That is why we say that today, now more than ever, we need the United Nations.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Hakan Fidan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, to address the Assembly.
Both the international community and the United Nations are going through a historical test. Our ability to produce solutions to crises and conflicts is declining, while the injustices in income distribution are deepening. Globally, inequality and injustice prepare the ground for extremism and failing States. Hatred of Islam and xenophobia, in their turn, gain strength on that fertile ground. The imbalances, be they in nature, economy, income distribution or social and political affairs, are constantly growing.
Unfortunately, the United Nations cannot display the leadership that it once showed in the face of ever-growing threats against humankind. Today we need an effective structure that will produce common solutions to our global problems and
A comprehensive reform of the United Nations, especially in the Security Council, is needed. In fact, the world is bigger than the five. We need to democratize the decision-making procedure at the United Nations. Resolutions that are adopted by an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly cannot be implemented because of the Security Council. International peace and security cannot be left to the will of a privileged clique consisting of a limited number of countries. We also need efficient tools and mechanisms to promote dialogue in the face of increasing polarization. In addition, the reform of the international financial architecture is also a must. That is the only way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
To pursue those objectives, we will continue to work and voice our views on every platform. At the same time, we are looking for ways to adapt to new technologies, especially digitalization and artificial intelligence. In that context, we welcome the adoption of the Global Digital Compact , which is one of the fundamental components of the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). We expect the international community to increase its support to the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, hosted by Türkiye, in its critical task of closing the digital gap between developed countries and the least developed countries.
The success of today’s Summit is a test that will reaffirm our determination to rebuild trust in the multilateral system. The Pact for the Future will shape our joint commitments towards a common world vision. I take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders that have contributed to the process.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Nicolas Albertoni, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, to address the Assembly.
This Summit finds us in the midst of very uncertain times that often prevent us from visualizing the magnitude and urgency of the global problems we have to solve, as we are frequently forced to address the urgent before the important. That is why my country greatly values the agreement we have reached, a symbol of the collective desire to be protagonists of the changes our society needs. That is why we see in the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) the North, along with the South, re-emphasizing what is really important. This type of joint progress allows us to imagine a strengthened multilateralism and renewed international cooperation that, despite facing enormous challenges, today allows us to tell the world that we have been able to attain a united Pact for the Future.
Uruguay comes to this Summit after several years of commitment to the agenda we have agreed today. In my country, a Bicameral Commission for the Future has been in operation in the National Parliament since 2021 and the United Nations system in Uruguay, together with the Uruguayan Government, convened Dialogues on the Future between 2022 and 2024, seeking to promote that agenda from a forward-looking perspective.
The Pact has also been a reason for all of us to be honest about climate change, because if what we want is to improve the prospects of future generations, it is essential to redouble our cooperation and commitments on climate change and sustainable economic development. In that regard, let me emphasize that although Uruguay’s greenhouse gas emissions are minimal on a global scale, we have already completed a first energy transition, reaching 98 per cent from renewable sources, and we are now heading towards a second transition that will allow us to achieve electric mobility. However, like so many developing countries, my country needs climate financing commitments to be met, within a framework of common but differentiated
We are only six years away from 2030, the horizon we set for ourselves towards the Sustainable Development Goals, and if there is one thing that the Goals constantly remind us of, it is that sustainable development is essentially multidimensional. We therefore celebrate the fact that the Pact for the Future that we have agreed to establishes a process to measure development beyond gross domestic product — a claim that we have long made in order to avoid ending up punishing those who, with great effort, are doing things right.
As the Secretary General has said, “we cannot build a future for our grandchildren with a system that was designed for our grandparents”. That is why we in Uruguay are working to guarantee that future generations have access to better opportunities in education, health and employment. In that regard, I note that Uruguay recently implemented an educational transformation that will strengthen our education with an eye to the future. We have also enacted a social security reform law, based on intergenerational solidarity, that will not only allow the sustainability of the system in the long term, but will also promote the generation of formal employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. Safeguarding those reforms also means taking care of the future for the generations of today and tomorrow.
Speaking of future generations, I hail the creation of the United Nations Youth Office and recognize the work that our Uruguayan compatriot Felipe Paullier has been doing as its leader in the quest for the greater participation of young people in decision-making.
The Pact also talks off peace and, coming from a country with a deep commitment to dialogue to promote peace, I must be clear in saying that the current situation is alarming. Today we have record numbers of displaced people due to humanitarian emergencies, conflicts and organized armed violence.
There is no doubt that, in adopting the Pact, the membership has taken a great step towards multilateralism, but our energies must now be focused on ensuring that the commitments we have made do not remain mere good intentions. Members should know that in Uruguay they will always have an ally in projecting the future because my country sees the future not as something we must wait for, but rather as something that we must actively, and together, begin to build.
I invite His Excellency Mr. Sergey Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, to address the Assembly.
The modern world is facing unprecedented challenges that require collective solutions. The proposal of the Secretary-General to convene the Summit of the Future therefore found a broad response among the States Members of the world Organization and was supported by Russia.
We must not forget that it was the unity of States in the fight against Nazism and their desire to cooperate in good faith in solving global problems that led to the creation of our Organization. Without political will, it is impossible to reach consensus, much less realize the goals of the United Nations to restore peace, ensure indivisible security and achieve development goals. In a word, the key to the effectiveness and authority of the United Nations is genuine multilateralism.
As a founding Member of the United Nations and a responsible member of the international community, Russia attaches particular importance to efforts to strengthen the system of multilateral cooperation. We proceed from the fact that in the realities of a multipolar world, the United Nations should play a central coordinating role in unifying the positions of Member States and finding collective
Nevertheless, the final versions of the Pact and its annexes retain non-consensual elements that do not contribute to achieving the stated goals of the Summit and are fraught with negative consequences for the very foundations of the United Nations work. On that basis, Russia did not block the adoption of the Pact and aligned itself with the previously voiced statement of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations. At the same time, we unambiguously distanced ourselves from the consensus on the Pact and the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I), especially on the following elements.
In concrete terms, we cannot support formulations aimed at undermining the intergovernmental nature of the Organization. The selective citation of generally recognized principles of international law is also unacceptable. Thus, the document does not directly mention the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States or the principle of cooperation.
Like a number of States pursuing a sovereign foreign policy, we cannot support strengthening the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has become notorious for his bias and pandering to Western interests. We oppose forcing the process of nuclear disarmament. Against the background of ignoring the principle of equal and indivisible security, such ideas are frankly unrealistic, if not destructive.
The Global Digital Compact also contains serious flaws. It is about an attempt to equate non-governmental entities with States in decision-making on the international technological agenda, as well as the creation of additional review mechanisms with unclear mandates on that track.
Of course, the documents adopted at the Summit contain some ideas that meet the expectations of the world majority. Those include reforming the global financial architecture, expanding access to technology and bridging the digital divide in the interests of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We welcome the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1, annex II) , which clearly demonstrates that consensus in the Organization is possible if there is political will.
Taking our position into account, we emphasize that the final documents of the Summit do not impose obligations on Russia with respect to provisions on which there is no consensus. They cannot be automatically transferred to other United Nations documents, since they require additional careful consideration and coordination with the participation of all Member States, in strict respect for their approaches and concerns.
I invite Her Excellency Mrs. Bahia El Hariri, Member of Parliament of the Lebanese Republic, to address the Assembly.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon has honoured me with the task of delivering his special speech to the General Assembly at the Summit of the Future. He also offers his apologies for his inability to attend due to the compelling and devastating circumstances targeting the safety of the Lebanese people, including in their homes. Prime Minister Najib Mikati is working with the Government team to confront the repercussions of the aggression at all levels — humanitarian, diplomatic, health, livelihoods and security — and to follow up on the displacement operations and targeting of residential neighbourhoods after the massacre that has killed more than 3,000 Lebanese citizens in Beirut,
The Summit of the Future is being held at a very critical time, as humankind as a whole is in dire need of dialogue, review and insight into the major threats to international peace and security posed to the international system by violence and non-compliance with comprehensive and guaranteed values and norms. In response, we must work to restore confidence in the global system.
On behalf of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, we commend the efforts of the Secretary-General and the Secretariat in preparing the Summit through reviews, dialogues and strategies that we have been following since 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the emphasis on sustainable development in the 2020 Declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations (resolution 75/1), the Secretary-General’s 2021 Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, the fight against the coronavirus disease pandemic, and the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit. All those measures should help to restore trust.
Following the establishment of its modern State in 1920, Lebanon participated in the establishment of the League of Arab States in 1945, the adoption of the Charter of the United Nations in 1945, the founding conference of UNESCO in 1945 and the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In 1948, the Lebanese State took the initiative to host in Beirut the third General Conference of UNESCO, which states in its Preamble that “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” The Conference was a platform for freedom and cultural diversity and a centre for dialogue and global cultural cooperation.
The violence, destruction, displacement, migration, asylum, hunger and disease that the new generation is witnessing will have a major impact on the minds of current and future generations. The roots of future wars are now being established in the minds of generations, while artificial intelligence has made current and future generations very and clearly aware of the most minute details of the calamities that are happening now. Reviewing those documents directly with each generation requires determining the maturity of new generations. Generations in the past used to take tens of years to form, while the current generation is evolving so quickly as a result of digital and technological development.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati is very keen to renew confidence in Lebanese civil society and scientific and youth institutions and stresses the importance of Secretary-General António Guterres’ proposal on the need to keep pace with and discuss the outcomes of this exceptional Summit with civil society and youth. We hope that the young generations of Beirut will be the first to discuss the results of the Summit of the Future and its Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1). We are confident that the generations that have known the bitterness of violence, wars and conflicts —
I invite His Excellency Mr. Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabe Abroad of Burkina Faso, to address the Assembly.
Burkina Faso welcomes the considerable efforts made by the co-facilitators in formulating the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1), which we have adopted unanimously. Let us therefore work towards its effective implementation, because it opens a new era of hope.
The promising and bright future that we desire requires vigorous international action, consistent with our common but differentiated commitments and responsibilities towards future generations. In that regard, the following proposals are contributions that my delegation wishes to make to the work of the Summit.
First, it seems essential to ensure strict compliance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations so that recourse to the threat or use of force, aggression, political and economic pressure and interference in the internal affairs of other States may cease forever. It is also important to promote transparency, justice and equity by completing the reform of the Security Council to strengthen confidence among Member States.
Secondly, in the area of security, it is crucial to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of peacekeeping operations and the credibility of the United Nations in crisis and conflict management.
Thirdly, it is essential that development and health issues remain at the centre of our concerns, particularly with regard to the means of implementation, including capacity-building, technology transfer and adequate, sufficient, predictable and additional financial resources. In that regard, we must strengthen the multilateral response to support countries facing high and unsustainable debt by ensuring a more effective, orderly, predictable, coordinated, transparent and timely approach. The same interest should be given to the reform of the international financial architecture.
Fourthly, we must continue to promote our commitment to the empowerment of all women and girls in all areas by removing all barriers to their full, equal and meaningful access and participation in science, technology and innovation. Let us not forget populations affected by war, including internally displaced populations and refugees. Similarly, the world’s youth deserve to be involved in decision-making processes in world affairs. The establishment of a permanent assembly and an integrated programme within the United Nations system dedicated to them seems appropriate in that regard.
Fifthly, in the face of progress in the digital field, it is urgent to work towards the advent of digital cooperation that would define principles, objectives and actions that respect human rights. In that regard, we must welcome the initiative to launch an annual global dialogue on the governance of artificial intelligence, under the auspices of the United Nations, and an inclusive process towards international data governance arrangements.
Finally, our collective conscience is challenged by the particular and very worrisome problem of terrorism, which threatens the foundations of our societies. We must fight in solidarity against that scourge and take measures against certain States that support and finance terrorists, as is the case in the Sahel.
It is now up to us to translate the Pact for the Future into concrete action in order to strengthen multilateralism and allow us to meet the expectations of our populations and revive the hope they have placed in our common Organization.
I give the floor to the representative of Sri Lanka.
Today the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in peril. We know where we need to be and how we need to progress. The 2030
We are gathered here today to commit to 56 multilateral solutions that address the needs of our people, both now and in generations to come. The Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) is our opportunity to demonstrate our shared resolve to chart that new course. During our deliberations, we visited several key aspects that require urgent action, including reforms to the international financial architecture, debt restructuring, financing for development, international peace and security, science, technology and innovation, global governance, youth and future generations.
Sri Lanka thanks Namibia and Germany, Zambia and Sweden, and the Netherlands and Jamaica for navigating the deliberations over the past 18 months towards the adoption of the Pact.
We are sensitive to the fact that all our aspirations may not be accommodated in the Pact. Negotiations on the Pact for the Future highlighted the challenges to our multilateral system, which must be fit for the present and future, prioritizing people at the centre of our actions over political and economic divisions.
As a developing country, Sri Lanka sees that considerable opportunities can be seized through the Pact for the Future and its accompanying documents, the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1, annex I) and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1, annex II). We will structure our national digital development strategies upon the commitments under the five objectives of the Global Digital Compact to augment the delivery of the SDGs. With that positive hope, let us highlight the issues that could have made the Pact more inclusive and meaningful.
If we are to seek multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow, we recognize that all three pillars of the United Nations should be equally strengthened. Sri Lanka is concerned about the growing SDG financing gap. We welcome the Secretary- General’s proposal for an SDG stimulus to mobilize resources and encourage developed nations to meet their official development assistance commitments. Having experienced a financial crisis ourselves, Sri Lanka calls for accelerated reform of the international financial architecture to make it more efficient, equitable and able to better respond to the challenges faced by the developing countries. We call for the Secretary-General, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development and Member States to review the sovereign debt architecture and present reforms as we head into the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development next year.
We believe that the evolving global security landscape calls for a sincere commitment to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to the foundational objectives of the Organization. The various threats to peace and security, whether on land, at sea, in the air, outer space or cyberspace, should be addressed through efforts to restore trust, strengthen solidarity and enhance cooperation, in alignment with the recommendations of the New Agenda for Peace.
Therefore, as we aspire to the implementation of the Pact in enhancing human rights, we should honour the fact that all human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent. We cannot turn a blind eye to serious and gross violations of human rights in one part of the world while we call for human rights accountability in another. Multilateralism cannot be sustained on double standards.
The fiscal impacts of various crises are triggering debt distress in many developing countries, including Sri Lanka, limiting the ability to invest in recovery, the SDGs and climate action —
I give the floor to the representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
I am convinced that the current Summit, held under the theme “Multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow”, will serve as an important occasion to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. With a view to actively contributing to this meeting, allow me to briefly mention what the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been doing to promote its socioeconomic development.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is faced with an unfavourable situation due to external factors. Even so, it is confidently advancing towards the goal it has set and continuously strengthening its capacity and potential for independent development. A conspicuous trend of growth is seen in all fields of the economy and culture, and a strong springboard is in place for the radical improvement of the living environment and the material and cultural life of the people. The experience of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proves in reality that the future of humankind lies in a people-first policy that holds the people in the most sacred esteem.
A peaceful environment for development is an indispensable requirement for the sustainable development of the international community. Comrade Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has said:
“We should not tolerate the imperialists’ moves for aggression and war against sovereign nations; instead, we should struggle to prevent the danger of war and safeguard world peace and security.”
Today the aggressive joint military exercises of the United States and its allies and their attempts to expand military blocs are malign factors that seriously threaten regional peace and undermine the global security landscape. In particular, the unilateral sanctions and coercive measures imposed by a few specific countries are causing tremendous damage to economic development and people’s lives in the developing countries. The international community should never allow anti-peace and confrontational acts that incite conflict and instability and instigate mistrust and hostility among United Nations Member States. The right of developing countries to development should be fully ensured in the international economic system, which is itself a firm guarantee of the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Overcoming the shortcomings in the current global governance system and realizing genuine international justice is becoming more important than ever before for restoring trust in the United Nations and establishing a fair international order.
Today we are witnessing wrongful practices in the international arena, where the fundamental principles governing international relations are openly disregarded due to the high-handedness and double standards of a few countries. The Security Council did not take any action to stop war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza for almost a year. Indeed, the abnormal situation persists in the Security Council, where the legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence of a sovereign State that does not cause even the slightest damage to the security of neighbouring States is denounced as a threat. The prevailing reality shows that the Security Council should be immediately reformed to correct the current composition of the unfair Western-led membership and expand and strengthen the representation of developing countries.
In conclusion, the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities and role as a member of the international
I now give the floor to the representative of New Zealand.
As a member of the UN75 Leaders Network in 2020 and the co-facilitator of the Summit modalities resolution 76/307, along with Oman, New Zealand is pleased to see the Summit of the Future come to fruition.
These two days have been long in the making. The Summit of the Future has its genesis in Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), the Secretary-General’s call for solidarity among people, countries and generations, as well as a renewal of the multilateral system to accelerate the implementation of existing commitments and the filling of gaps in global governance. We thank the Secretary-General for laying down the challenge.
In preparing for the Summit, Member States were beneficiaries of a significant investment by the United Nations system and beyond. That includes the exemplary policy briefs, the report of the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism and a myriad of initiatives to build trust and facilitate compromise. New Zealand embraced the possibility of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations (resolution 79/1) as an opportunity to drive action on pressing and emerging global challenges.
As a small State, New Zealand has long been a benefactor and beneficiary of the international rules-based system. We remain committed to engaging constructively in all efforts that seek to contemporize global governance for today and the future. Size does not define influence at the United Nations. Small States have long been at the forefront of defending and strengthening the international rules-based system.
Our multilateral system is imperfect, and while we have made significant strides through the convening of the Summit of the Future, we must not assume that our job is done. We must use the tools at our disposal to create a more representative and better networked United Nations that is properly equipped to respond to the challenges of our times and those that lie ahead. Member States must do better to overcome division and competition.
Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, the triple planetary crisis and unprecedented levels of conflict and suffering, that is no small task. Never has it been more important to work across the kaleidoscope of fractures that punctuate progress in improving the well-being of people and the planet. Consensus does not just happen on its own; it needs to be forged. Consensus demands leadership. It rests upon foresight. It requires hard work. We thank Germany and Namibia, Sweden and Zambia, and the Netherlands and Jamaica for their respective leadership in guiding negotiations on the Pact, the Compact and the Declaration.
With regard to the Pact, we are pleased to see the relative balance between the three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. We are satisfied that issues of importance to New Zealand, including gender, human rights and sea level rise, are reflected in the Pact. We all have our disappointments. For New Zealand, language on nuclear disarmament falls well short of our collective goal of a nuclear-weapon free world and how we take concrete steps to achieve it. We had also wished for stronger language on the reform of the Security Council, although we do see some glimmers of hope.
New Zealand welcomes the Compact as an opportunity to foster an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital future for everyone. That future rests on three essential pillars: human rights, multi-stakeholder governance and inclusion. On the Declaration, New Zealand welcomes the concept that present generations must act with responsibility towards safeguarding the needs and interests of future generations.
Address by Mr. Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, Head of Government of Spain
I invite His Excellency Mr. Pedro Sánchez Pérez- Castejón, Head of Government of Spain, to address the Assembly.
In times of uncertainty like ours, fear is our worst enemy. A future of peace, justice and prosperity can be built only on hope.
To guarantee that future, we must first promote a more effective, inclusive and fair governance of the multilateral system. The Summit of the Future is a key step towards achieving that goal. Spain is working towards the necessary reform of the United Nations and its institutions to make them more representative, effective and transparent and to ensure that their functioning is more democratic and that citizens feel closer to this home. In addition, we must reaffirm the validity of the extraordinary heritage of the Organization: respect for international law, international humanitarian law and the Charter of the United Nations itself. Spain defends and promotes those principles with determination and coherence in all contexts, be it in Gaza, Ukraine or anywhere else in the world.
Secondly, we want a future of more and better international cooperation that will allow us to advance in the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We support that aspiration with action. Spain has committed to increasing its official development assistance to 0.7 per cent of its gross national income by 2030. In addition, my country is the first contributor to the Joint Sustainable Development Goal Fund, and I have the deep honour of being part of the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Goal Stimulus Leaders Group.
As host of the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Seville in 2025, Spain wants to agree on concrete measures that will allow us to mobilize all resources and policies to promote sustainable development. For example, we must strengthen the multilateral development banks, completing the review of their capital adequacy framework and deepening their reform processes.
Thirdly, we must optimize the use of special drawing rights and their possible rechannelling mechanisms. In that regard, fulfilling our commitment to channel up to 50 per cent of the rights received in 2021, Spain arranged a pioneering agreement between the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank so that both institutions can use the Resilience and Sustainability Fund in the fight against climate change. Likewise, it is necessary to include contingency clauses in debt contracts beyond natural disasters for other crises, as Spain has recently done. That would ensure a better response to food crises and health emergencies, including in lower-middle income countries. All of this must be accompanied by fairer taxation and more effective and transparent tax policies that encourage the mobilization of domestic resources. Such measures could include a global minimum tax on large fortunes and the full implementation of the two pillars of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Group of 20 on the taxation of multinationals as a basis for a future framework convention on tax cooperation.
Fourthly, we must work towards the responsible development of artificial intelligence and other new technologies. Technology, when guided by shared values
The Summit and the Pact for the Future (resolution 79/1) are an antidote to fear and an invitation to hope. They do not represent the end of a path, but rather its starting point — a path of reforms that all Members of the United Nations must follow together to update our institutions of global governance to the challenges of our present and the opportunities that the future opens up for us. The challenge is to maintain the course that we set here in New York today and to accelerate the pace. Members can count on Spain to lead that path, and I look forward to them all in Seville in June 2025.
I thank the Head of Government of Spain for the statement he has just made.
I give the floor to the representative of Kiribati.
I bring warm greetings from the Government and the people of Kiribati.
Kiribati strongly supports this Summit’s aim to reinvigorate multilateralism. In an increasingly interconnected world, the challenges we face — climate change, pandemics, volatile global commodity prices, inequalities and conflicts — cannot be addressed by any single nation alone. We need a robust, inclusive and effective multilateral system that is fit for the future — a system in which every nation, no matter its size or wealth, has a voice and decisions are made with the welfare of the global community in mind.
That requires reforming our international institutions to ensure that they are more responsive, accountable and transparent. It also requires a renewed commitment to the principles of solidarity, cooperation and equity that lie at the heart of the United Nations, with the integration of cultural values into development strategies, recognizing their importance in shaping sustainable and inclusive growth.
Kiribati stands as a testament to both the vulnerability and the resilience of our planet. As an atoll nation, we are on the front line of the climate crisis, facing threats from rising sea levels, extreme weather events and ocean acidification. For us, the future is not an abstract concept; it is about navigating and adapting to climate extremes and variability. It certainly requires a collective responsibility to ensure that all nations can thrive in the face of those challenges.
As we look towards the future, we must also embrace innovation and adaptability. The rapid pace of technological change offers both challenges and opportunities. It is imperative that we harness those technologies for the common good, ensuring that they contribute to human dignity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. It is essential that all nations, including small island States like Kiribati, have the tools and resources to participate fully in the global digital economy and to harness technology for the betterment of our people and our planet. Kiribati is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through its localized version, known as the Kiribati 20-Year Vision, vowing to transform As we adopt the Pact of the Future (resolution 79/1), the integration of the concept of respect and responsibility into our global actions and commitments cannot be underestimated. We believe that the concept of respect and responsibility forms the backbone of social order, peace and harmony, which are crucial to fostering a just and sustainable future. Respect for all peoples and cultures and the environment underpin the ethical foundation of global cooperation, ensuring that no community or ecosystem is left behind —
The President returned to the Chair.
I now give the floor to the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.
The Summit of the Future represents an important opportunity to review our common work and what has been accomplished towards building the future we seek that meets the aspirations of our peoples, guarantees the fulfilment of the promise of the Charter of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security, saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, strengthening the bonds of cooperation and friendly relations among countries and upholding basic human rights.
The ongoing Israeli occupation of Arab lands in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon and the persistent commission by the occupation authorities of the crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing and continuous acts of aggression against Palestine, Lebanon, and my country, Syria, represent a serious and unacceptable violation of international law, the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter and all human and civilized norms and values. They also constitute a major obstacle to our reaching the common future to which we aspire. That requires the pooling and intensification of our efforts as the United Nations to confront the aggression, stop it immediately and end the Israeli occupation of Arab lands.
The future for which this Summit is being held must see a fundamental change that serves the interests of our Member States and all their peoples. That will require some Western countries to abandon the mentality of the past and their ambitions of hegemony and colonialism, to end their efforts to impose their will on other peoples and to respect the independent national choices and civilizational and cultural characteristics of those peoples.
Over the years, some Western countries have pursued policies aimed at robbing the Syrians of their future, undermining their national choices, depriving them of the right to enjoy their wealth and development achievements, and besieging them through unilateral, coercive and illegal measures. However, the Syrian people, with their ancient human and civilizational heritage, are determined to move forward and build their future with their free will and not to allow any external parties to impose their dictates and vision of the shape of their future.
My country, Syria, looks forward to a future based on dialogue and diplomacy, strengthening multilateral action and upholding the principles of the Charter and the rule of law at the international level — a future free of occupation, hegemonic ambitions, terrorism, coercive unilateral measures and the collective punishment of peoples. There is therefore a need to take immediate, serious measures to develop and strengthen the structures and mechanisms of international multilateral action
Syria joins its voice to those of other States calling for reform of the international financial institutions, for the participation of developing countries in the international economic decision-making process, for the global debt crisis to be addressed and for the necessary support, financial resources and official development assistance to be provided to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The current status of the Sustainable Development Goal indicators at the global level requires us to strengthen our joint efforts to upgrade and depoliticize international development cooperation and to ensure that developing countries have access to modern technologies in order to achieve tangible results and improve those indicators within the remaining time frame in order to fulfil the slogan of leaving no one behind.
I now give the floor to the representative of the World Bank.
We have gathered today at a pivotal moment. The challenges of climate change, conflict and economic instability are intensifying, yet we also stand on the cusp of unprecedented opportunities. Advances in finance, technology and governance empower us to shape a sustainable and equitable future. The pressing question is: How do we harness those tools effectively to address and rise above the challenges?
At the World Bank Group, sustainable development means addressing today’s immediate needs while fulfilling the aspirations of future generations. It is about building resilient systems and forging enduring partnerships. The International Development Association (IDA) is central to that vision. It multiplies donor contributions nearly fourfold, channelling resources towards health systems, infrastructure and job creation. In fiscal year 2024, IDA delivered $31 billion to countries that needed it most, directly contributing to poverty reduction and tackling global challenges like climate change. Our Mission 300 initiative is aimed at providing electricity to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. Electricity is foundational. Without it, progress in health care, education and employment remains unattainable. The initiative is not just about powering homes and businesses; it is about illuminating the future.
But we cannot achieve those ambitious goals alone. Multilateral cooperation is essential to tackling global challenges, which know no borders. Together, we can pool resources, share knowledge and amplify our impact to create lasting solutions. We can think creatively, act boldly and support one another. Our focus must be on the next generation. Over the next decade, an estimated 1.2 billion young people will reach working age in developing countries, yet only 420 million new jobs are projected to be created.
We must change that trajectory. By improving infrastructure, health care and access to clean electricity, we can create future jobs and opportunities for our youth. Let us ensure that our children have the tools they need for a healthy, successful future. The jobs of tomorrow will require innovation, adaptability and commitment to sustainability. The World Bank Group is committed to partnering with the General Assembly to tackle today’s challenges.
The meeting rose at 3.15 p.m.