Nothing less than the future of humanity is at stake at the UN’s “Future Summit”, which began today in New York. 175 countries are taking part, many with their heads of state or government. Swiss President Viola Amherd will also give a speech. What can we expect from the summit? Answers from international correspondent Sebastian Ramspeck.
Sebastian Ramspeck
International Correspondent
Why is the UN inviting people to the “Future Summit”?
The world is not doing well. At least that is something that the UN can agree on. That is why Secretary General António Guterres initiated the “Future Pact”. The document is intended to help states identify common solutions to humanity’s most pressing problems. It deals with war, poverty and hunger, and climate change. But the global financial system and artificial intelligence are also topics of the “Future Pact”.
“Future Pact” sounds like a big deal. Is it?
No. Since the beginning of the year, diplomats have been trying to assert their government’s interests in the preliminary negotiations. Many proposals from the first draft have been deleted. Guterres is promoting the pact as a “system update” for a better world. But many of the declarations of intent contained therein can already be found in other UN documents. And the pact is not binding anyway, and states do not have to follow it.
Why do countries find it so difficult to solve major problems together?
There is a lot of talk about the “community of nations,” but one looks in vain for a sense of community in the UN. Rather, there is a deep divide between dictatorships like China and democracies like the USA. Then there is the north-south divide between the rich countries in North America and Europe and the poor countries of the so-called global south. It has become virtually impossible to agree on solutions across these divides. Especially since the power blocs accuse each other of being responsible for injustice and misery in view of the Ukraine and Gaza wars.
The Future Summit will take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York starting Sunday.
Keystone/ JUSTIN LANE
So the “Future Summit” is not much more than a big theater?
The summit is part of the UN General Assembly, and this does indeed resemble a world theater. Every September, presidents, heads of government and foreign ministers from all over the world meet in New York. On stage they give sensational speeches, behind the scenes they hold discreet meetings. This year, too, global political super-celebrities have been announced: from Biden to Erdogan, Lavrov, Lula and Scholz to Selensky. The good news: people talk to each other. The bad news: they often talk past each other.
Shouldn’t the UN also be reformed?
This will also be a topic at the “Future Summit”. The main focus is on the most powerful UN organ, the Security Council. In addition to ten non-permanent members, five permanent members have a right of veto, including China, Russia and the USA. Vetoes in the Security Council often paralyze the entire UN. There are several reform proposals on the table, for example expanding the Council to include two permanent members from Africa or abolishing the right of veto. But even such a “system update” is in danger of failing – because the veto powers are reluctant to give up power.