Reaching new heights at the UN Summit of the Future
By Christiny Miller & Nicole Kormann
“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”—Ancient Iroquois philosophy
Globally we face myriad challenges—climate breakdown, epidemics and pandemics, wars, energy and cost-of-living crises to cite a few—which can’t be tackled by one government, institution or group of people alone. We live in a globalised world, with globalised challenges which demand a global response. Beyond this, we must account for the evolving nature of these challenges over time; these are challenges faced today, but the way we approach them will have impacts for generations to come. While it is easier to agree that we need to tackle these challenges together, it is still undecided how.
How can we move towards a different path, one that leads us to a better future?
The United Nations Summit of the Future is driven by this question. It is centred on reimagining global cooperation in the face of 21st challenges in a way that accelerates progress towards what really matters to people and planet. Taking place this weekend, September 22-23 in New York, the Summit will focus on how countries can effectively work together with an eye on the long-term to “deliver a better present and safeguard the future”.
A Summit with the potential to change our future
While ZOE Institute usually works at the EU and national level, multilateralism and global governance have a crucial role in achieving our shared goals.
The UN can foster dialogue on the international stage and help build bridges between institutions around the globe. This can help build common ground and a vision to forge a new path forward.
We recognise the importance of engaging with other levels, especially when we talk about wellbeing for all. Global multilateral frameworks can set targets high for collective action, as we saw with the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Pact for the Future, the main outcome expected from the event, will outline various action-oriented proposals touching upon multiple policy areas—from development to digital to youth—that together can promote systemic change.
The UN has also put forward a Declaration on Future Generations, based on input from member states and other stakeholders. The declaration outlines specific actions to incorporate future generations’ interests into decision-making and secure our commitment toward them. The UN Secretary-General’s report Our Common Agenda, which proposed the Summit, called for this declaration and the appointment of a United Nations Special Envoy for Future Generations.
This unique summit is a valuable opportunity for the EU to demonstrate its leadership in advancing intergenerational fairness—
a concept highlighted in Ursula von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines for her next term as European Commission president to make sure that “decisions taken today do not harm future generations”. Although there hasn’t been dedicated leadership for this so far, ‘solidarity between generations’ is a founding principle in the Treaty of the EU.
The implications of the decisions we make today intensify with each passing generation.
By addressing for example inequalities, peace, and wellbeing now, we can ensure greater resilience, equity, and wellbeing for future generations, which is known as the intergenerational multiplier effect.
Following the release of the Our Common Agenda report, the UN Secretary-General has also issued a series of Policy Briefs that delve deeper into its proposals. The Beyond GDP brief calls for a renewed social contract based on a new way to measure prosperity—indeed, if we want to achieve wellbeing now and in the future, shouldn’t we be focusing on these societal goals rather than solely on economic growth?
There is a lot of discussion around how we can create metrics and models that better capture what really matters. The EU has engaged in efforts to advance scientific knowledge and policy on this topic, for example by funding projects such as WISE Horizons and MERGE.
The Summit of the Future offers an opportunity to bring momentum to the beyond GDP debate by building bridges between the multiple governance levels. History has shown that countries coming together was a key feature of the initial success of GDP.
Now it’s time to come together again to redefine a new way to measure progress.
Ensuring strong leadership for long-term thinking in decision-making and policymaking is a fundamental step, but it is only the beginning of the journey.
Implementing the outcomes of the Pact for the Future will require building capacity within institutions across the EU, its Member States, and beyond.
Civil society, think tanks, academia, and the general public can all contribute to laying the groundwork for effective multilevel implementation.
Vision to action: what to expect
It’s time for a big change in global governance. The one-off Summit of the Future reflects a broader quest for a more inclusive, sustainable world. By adopting a long-term perspective in a new global consensus, countries around the world will signal their commitment to tackling these global challenges together while keeping both present and future generations in mind.
We will be closely watching the discussions as we attend the Summit and hope for an ambitious multilateral agreement that can bring reimagined hope and trust.
