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Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Sept24/04) Penang, 25 Sep (Kanaga Raja) — World leaders gathering at the UN headquarters in New York on 22 September pledged to take action to “strengthen and reinvigorate multilateralism and deepen international cooperation”, in order to tackle present and future challenges. This commitment by world leaders came in the pivotal “Pact for the Future” together with two annexes – the “Global Digital Compact” and the “Declaration on Future Generations” – that was adopted by consensus at the Summit of the Future on 22 September. In the Pact, the world leaders committed to 56 actions in the areas of sustainable development and financing for development; international peace and security ; science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance. (See SUNS #10081 dated 24 September 2024 for details on the world leaders’ commitments on sustainable development, climate change, environment and reform of the international financial architecture.) The issue of strengthening multilateralism and deepening international cooperation came under the section on “transforming global governance.” In the Pact, the world leaders said: “Today, our multilateral system, constructed in the aftermath of the Second World War, is under unprecedented strain. It has had remarkable achievements in the past 80 years. But we are not complacent about the future of our international order, and we know that it cannot stand still. “We will take action to strengthen and reinvigorate multilateralism and deepen international cooperation. We reaffirm unwavering commitment to international law, including the Charter, to address global challenges, some of which could overwhelm and threaten all of humanity. A transformation in global governance is essential to ensure that the positive progress we have seen across all three pillars of the work of the United Nations in recent decades does not unravel. We will not allow this to happen. “We must renew trust in global institutions by making them more representative of and responsive to today’s world and more effective at delivering on the commitments that we have made to one another and our people. “We renew our commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation, guided by the Charter and the principles of trust, equity, solidarity and universality. We will transform global governance and strengthen the multilateral system to help us to achieve a world that is safe, peaceful, just, equal, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous.” The world leaders pledged to “transform global governance and reinvigorate the multilateral system to tackle the challenges, and seize the opportunities, of today and tomorrow.” They resolved “to make the multilateral system, with the United Nations at its centre, more: (a) Effective and capable of delivering on our promises, with strengthened accountability, transparency and implementation mechanisms to ensure that our commitments are met and to rebuild trust in global institutions; (b) Prepared for the future, building capabilities and harnessing technology and data to anticipate risks, seize opportunities, act early and manage uncertainty; (c) Just, democratic, equitable and representative of today’s world to ensure that all Member States, especially developing countries, can meaningfully participate in global decision-making in multilateral institutions and better integrating the voice of developing countries in global decision-making; (d) Inclusive, to allow for the meaningful participation of relevant stakeholders in appropriate formats, while reaffirming the intergovernmental character of the United Nations and the unique and central role of States in meeting global challenges; (e) Interconnected, to ensure that the multilateral system can draw together existing institutional capacities, work better as a system, overcome fragmentation and comprehensively address multi-dimensional, multi-sectoral challenges, while maximizing efficiencies; (f) Financially stable, by ensuring adequate, sustainable and predictable financing for the United Nations, and to that end we commit to meet our financial obligations in full, on time and without conditions.” REFORM OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL The world leaders committed to “reform the Security Council, recognizing the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable.” They said: “In response to the growing urgency to increase the effectiveness of the ability of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security as set out in the Charter, we agree on the following guiding principles identified in the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Council in accordance with General Assembly decision 62/557 of 15 September 2008 as parameters for reform: (a) Redress the historical injustice against Africa as a priority and, while treating Africa as a special case, improve the representation of the under-represented and unrepresented regions and groups, such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean; (b) Enlarge the Security Council in order to be more representative of the current United Nations membership and reflective of the realities of the contemporary world and, taking into account our commitments of Sustainable Development Goal 16.8, increase representation of developing countries and small- and medium-sized States; (c) Continue discussions on the issue of representation of cross-regional groups, taking into account that small island developing States, Arab States and others, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have been mentioned in the discussions of the intergovernmental negotiations; (d) Intensify efforts to find an agreement on the question of the categories of membership, taking into account the discussions held in the intergovernmental negotiations process; (e) The total number of members of an enlarged Council should ensure a balance between its representativeness and effectiveness; (f) The working methods should ensure the inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable functioning of an enlarged Council; (g) The question of the veto is a key element of Security Council reform. We will intensify efforts to reach an agreement on the future of the veto, including discussions on limiting its scope and use; (h) As part of a comprehensive reform, the inclusion of a review clause should be considered to ensure that the Security Council continues over time to deliver on its mandate and remains fit for purpose.” The world leaders also pledged to “strengthen our efforts in the framework of the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform as a matter of priority and without delay.” “We support the Member States-driven nature of the reform of the Security Council, and will intensify efforts for the reform through the intergovernmental negotiations in accordance with General Assembly decision 62/557 and other relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, such as resolution 53/30 of 23 November 1998,” they said. In this regard, building on the recent progress achieved in the intergovernmental negotiations, including through more transparency and inclusivity and by enhancing its institutional memory, they decided to: (a) Encourage the submission of further models and the revision of already presented models by States and Groups of States for the structured dialogues with a view to developing a consolidated model in the future based on convergences on the five clusters, and the models presented by Member States. The world leaders further pledged to “strengthen the response of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security and its relationship with the General Assembly.” “We will continue to improve and democratize the working methods of the Security Council and strengthen its relationship with the General Assembly, in accordance with and with full respect for their respective functions, authority, powers and competencies as enshrined in the Charter, with the understanding that this should not substitute for the reform of the Security Council outlined in action 39,” they said. In this regard, they decided to: “(a) Fully implement and adhere to all provisions of the Charter of the United Nations as they relate to the decision-making process in the Security Council, including Article 27 (3) of the Charter; (b) Support credible, timely and decisive action by the Security Council, in exercise of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, to prevent or end the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes; (c) Actively reinforce the ongoing efforts of the Security Council to review and enhance its working methods, including, inter alia, penholding and co-penholding arrangements, and strengthen the cooperation and communication between the Security Council and the General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies, including the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as the Economic and Social Council and regional and sub-regional arrangements, including by continuing to fully implement and make use of Assembly resolutions 377 A (V) of 3 November 1950 on uniting for peace and 76/262 of 26 April 2022 on the veto initiative; (d) Improve the participation in and access to the work of the Security Council and its subsidiary organs for all members of the General Assembly, to enhance the Council’s accountability to the membership and increase the transparency of its work.” REVITALIZE WORK OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY The world leaders pledged to increase their efforts “to revitalize the work of the General Assembly.” They reaffirmed “the central position of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.” In this regard, they decided to: “(a) Further enhance and make full use of the role and authority of the General Assembly to address evolving global challenges, in full compliance with the Charter; (b) Enhance ways in which the General Assembly can contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, in particular by taking action in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations; (c) Stress the need for the selection and appointment process of the Secretary-General to be guided by the principles of merit, transparency and inclusiveness and with due regard to gender balance and regional rotation and take into account during the next and in subsequent selection and appointment processes the regrettable fact that there has never been a woman Secretary-General, and we encourage Member States to consider nominating women as candidates.” STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL The world leaders committed to “strengthen the Economic and Social Council to accelerate sustainable development.” “We commit to strengthening the work of the Economic and Social Council as a principal organ for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on issues of economic and social development, recognizing the key role of the Council in achieving a balanced integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development and supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,” they said. In this regard, they decided to: “(a) Continue to strengthen cooperation between the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission and between the Economic and Social Council and the international financial institutions, in accordance with their respective mandates; (b) Facilitate more structured, meaningful and inclusive engagement of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in the activities of the Council, in line with Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996; (c) Support the youth forum of the Council to enhance youth engagement, ensuring that the forum is a platform for youth from across all regions to continue to share their ideas and engage in dialogue with Member States; (d) Request the Council, through an inclusive intergovernmental process with the participation of all Member States, to explore options, in the context of the forthcoming thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, to revitalize the Commission on the Status of Women to promote the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and promote and protect their human rights and to ensure that the Commission is fit for purpose, while reaffirming the mandate of the Commission, and consider options, as required, to strengthen other subsidiary organs of the Council.” In another action, the world leaders also pledged to strengthen the Peacebuilding Commission. STRENGTHENING THE UN SYSTEM The world leaders further pledged to “strengthen the United Nations system.” They underlined the importance of the United Nations system remaining “effective, efficient and impactful”. In this context, they decided to: “(a) Achieve a more agile, responsive and resilient United Nations, in particular by enhancing the Organization’s capabilities in innovation, data analytics, digital transformation, strategic foresight and behavioural science to better support Member States and deliver on its mandates; (b) Commit to fully support and continue to strengthen the United Nations development system, including the resident coordinator system, to make it more strategic, responsive, accountable, collaborative and integrated in supporting developing countries in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and addressing current, new and emerging challenges to sustainable development, in accordance with the Charter, and in support of national priorities and policies, including through United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, and call for increased adequate, predictable and sustainable funding to achieve these goals; (c) Ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities and disability inclusion at the United Nations to allow their full, meaningful and effective participation and equality in all aspects of the work of the United Nations; (d) Stress the need for the selection and appointment process of United Nations executive heads and senior positions to be guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, and carried out in accordance with all the provisions of Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, with due regard for recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible and gender balance, and adhere to the general rule that there should be no monopoly on senior posts in the United Nations system by nationals of any State or group of States.” HUMAN RIGHTS In another action, the world leaders pledged “to ensure the effective enjoyment by all, of all human rights and respond to new and emerging challenges.” They said: “Following the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, we remain committed to promoting and protecting all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. This includes the right to development. “We recommit to realizing our respective obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights and to implement all relevant international human rights instruments. All human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. Human rights are mutually reinforcing and must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis. The Sustainable Development Goals seek to realize the human rights of all. “Individuals and civil society institutions, including non-governmental organizations, groups and national human rights institutions, where they exist, engaged in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in accordance with national legislation consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and international human rights law, must be protected from any form of intimidation and reprisals, both online and offline. We must continue to uphold human rights in the future by strengthening our capabilities to respond to existing, new and emerging challenges to the enjoyment of human rights.” In this regard, they decided to: “(a) Recall the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as outlined in resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993, and request the Secretary-General to assess the need for adequate, predictable, increased and sustainable financing of the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, for efficient and effective mandate delivery to enable them to respond to the range of human rights challenges facing the international community with impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity; (b) Enhance coordination and cooperation among United Nations entities working on human rights and avoid duplication of activities, within their existing mandates, including through closer coordination with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.” +
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