The United Nations’ 193 members on Sunday adopted what the body called the “Pact for the Future,” some sort of road map or master plan on how to address the myriad of challenges confronting humanity.
The pact contains 56 action points that cover a wide range of themes, from peacekeeping to artificial intelligence.
Increasingly complex challenges to world peace, specifically the threat of nuclear war, topped the action points. The pact mentioned the need for reform in the UN Security Council, with some countries weaponizing their veto power and with glaring omissions in representation.
Climate change was another focal point. The pact noted the slow progress in arresting environmental destruction. Commitments to transition away from fossil fuels, increase usage of renewable energy, attain carbon neutrality, and intensify efforts to cap global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels have not seen much fruit despite the yearly articulation of their importance at the Conference of Parties.
Pushback from some fossil-fuel producing countries have been “ferocious,” an observer said.
The pact called for the “reform of the international financial architecture” and cited the slow global progress toward the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, set in 2005 and with 2030 – six years away – as their reckoning period.
Finally, the UN annexed a Global Digital Compact that sought to reduce the digital gap among countries and articulated the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence.
Unfortunately, such plenary commitments have a tendency to remain just that – lofty goals and pretty words on paper.
We acknowledge, as well, that despite claims that the world’s future is a collective future, the gaps persist and are even widening. Some countries have a louder voice than others, and despite their promises to international audiences and the collective good, remain primarily committed to their own benefit and even survival. Grandiose promises also afford others the opportunity for doublespeak, championing certain ideals despite the actual transgressions or omissions by their respective governments.
Speaking for all 193 member-nations in itself is a daunting task, given the conflicting interests of the members. But the need for a global pact remains.
That the international body would undertake a blueprint to serve as a guide in dealing with multiple risks and challenges we collectively face is notable, given recent regional and technological developments. Awareness is the first step in facing threats and addressing difficulties.
What individual countries do afterward bears watching, if only to test whether the ocean between rhetoric and actual actions is even narrowing.
