Is This the Moment to Renew Global Governance? Prospects for the UN Summit of the Future

This September, the United Nations will convene a Summit of the Future, designed to address the crisis of multilateralism by modernizing outdated institutions of global governance. Member states will be asked to endorse a Pact for the Future, a blueprint for international cooperation in the twenty-first century. The initial draft, released in late January 2024, proposes overhauling existing institutions—including those governing international peace and security, global finance and development, and new digital technologies—as well as measures to safeguard the rights of youth and future generations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the summit “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate global action, recommit to fundamental principles, and further develop the frameworks of multilateralism so they are fit for the future.”

What will be at stake when member states convene in September, and what is the likelihood that they can overcome the daunting divisions between East and West, North and South? Please join Carnegie for a timely conversation about the purpose of and prospects for global governance renewal at the UN Summit of the Future.

Stewart Patrick, director of the Carnegie Endowment’s Global Order and Institutions Program, will moderate a conversation with Guy Ryder, UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy, Jake Sherman, Minister Counselor, U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and Minh-Thu Pham, nonresident scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

[annjoyce]

Thanks for Your time, all of You: You encourage us all.

[williamtarpai]

Policy Makers definitely need to unleash and involve more voices from around the world on the 200+ pages of inputs to improve the Pact of the Future. One final document is great for leaders to sign off on at UNGA, but one size doesn't fit all in terms of achieving successful SDG outcomes

[williamtarpai]

@Jake Sherman - US leadership on UN Charter reform means countries need to have a greater say, with veto powers greatly reduced in the Security Council. Related to the best possible outcomes against the SDG Challenge in this decade, US must present a Voluntary National Review (VNR), and then urge others, especially conflict prone nations, '...to bolster innovative multistakeholder initiatives utilizing non-traditional data and tools to assess and monitor progress on the SDGs"