"Summit of the Future" Reveals Need to Set Descriptions Aside and Provide Relations Based on Modern Definitions
The "Summit of the Future" was convened on the proposal of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. It took place from September 22 to 23, with the participation of Heads of State and government, observers, UN, civil society and non-governmental organizations.
Secretary General Guterres gave an impassioned speech of a descriptive nature detailing aspects of the crises in which the world is mired. Such descriptions are tantamount to saying things like the cause of poverty is lack of money, not exploitation and the rule of some over others called Rule of Law. The only crisis he did not mention, probably the most significant, is the crisis of world thought which is stuck in making calculations about the relative strength of declining and emerging powers and wishing for a new equilibrium which harmonizes interests by keeping everything under the control of narrow supranational private interests.
Guterres said, "I called for this summit because our world is heading off the rails – and we need tough decisions to get back on track. Conflicts are raging and multiplying, from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan, with no end in sight. Our collective security system is threatened by geopolitical divides, nuclear posturing and the development of new weapons and theatres of war. Resources that could bring opportunities and hope are invested in death and destruction. Huge inequalities are a brake on sustainable development. Many developing countries are drowning in debt and unable to support their people. And we have no effective global response to emerging, complex and even existential threats.
"The climate crisis is destroying lives, devastating communities and ravaging economies. We all know the solution – a just phase-out of fossil fuels – and yet, emissions are still rising. New technologies, including AI (artificial intelligence), are being developed in a moral and legal vacuum, without governance or guardrails. In short, our multilateral tools and institutions are unable to respond effectively to today's political, economic, environmental and technological challenges. And tomorrow's will be even more difficult and even more dangerous.
"The United Nations Security Council is outdated, and its authority is eroding. Unless its composition and working methods are reformed, it will eventually lose all credibility. The international financial architecture was established when many of today's developing countries were under colonial rule. It does not represent the realities of today's global economy, and it is no longer able to resolve global economic challenges: debt, climate action, sustainable development. It does not provide the global safety net that developing countries need.
"[...] The Pact for the Future is about turbocharging the
Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement,
accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels and
securing a peaceful and liveable future for everyone on our
planet."
(UN News)
This article was published in
September 25, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/ITN2024/Articles/TI54162.HTM
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