UN adopts ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance

Addis Ababa, September 22, 2024 (FBC) – At the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York, world leaders today adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.

This Pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow, the UN said in an official press release.

The most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, covering entirely new areas as well as issues on which agreement has not been possible in decades, the Pact aims above all to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created.

As the Secretary-General has said, “we cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents.”

Overall, the agreement of the Pact is a strong statement of countries’ commitment to the United Nations, the international system and international law.

Leaders set out a clear vision of an international system that can deliver on its promises, is more representative of today’s world and draws on the energy and expertise of governments, civil society and other key partners.

“The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations open the door to new opportunities and untapped possibilities,” said the Secretary-General during his remarks at the opening of the Summit of the Future. The President of the General Assembly noted that the Pact would “lay the foundations for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order – for all peoples and nations.”

The Pact covers a broad range of issues including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance.