Roundup: World leaders hail adoption of pact at UN Summit of the Future

by Xinhua writers Xia Lin, Gao Shan
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) — As the Summit of the Future entered its second and final day at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday, leaders from the world body’s member countries continued to hail the adoption of the Pact for the Future, with Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations as its annexes.
The pact and its annexes cover a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations and the transformation of global governance.
“The Summit of the Future is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future,” said the world organization in its release. “This once-in-a-generation opportunity serves as a moment to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively tackle current challenges as well as those that have emerged in recent years or may yet be over the horizon.”
President of Angola João Lourenço said that the adoption of the Pact for the Future represents “a real turning point” for a more dynamic, engaged and assertive approach to the issues that are of concern to the humanity. Stressing the importance of including youth and women as “vital drivers” of transformation and modernization, he called for a commitment “to step up the fight against poverty in all forms and dimensions.”
President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel said that the Pact for the Future creates a solid base for a better and more effective multilateral system. Particularly, he insisted, it is critical to “contribute to our shared understanding of how to handle technology safely on a daily basis and protect ourselves against its misuse by malign actors.”
President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa said that all global decisions and commitments must be determined with “the involvement and contribution of those who today can build tomorrow.” To tackle “the alarming and growing rates of youth unemployment” through targeted investment, he said that this is the only way “to pull youth from the grasp of crime, drugs and transnational organized criminal activities.”
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon said that the inclusion of climate and water issues in the final document “underscores the imperative for sustained and urgent action” to secure a peaceful and sustainable future. Despite some progress, “access to filtered water and sanitation remains insufficient,” he said, voicing the commitment of his country to enhancing collaboration with other nations to advance water resource management and climate change action.
Albert II, Prince of Monaco, said that the Pact for the Future establishes a bedrock for a more prosperous world and allows young people to flourish in an environment protected from security threats such as transnational crime. “Peace is our most valuable asset,” he added, noting that without access to human rights, a world benefiting all people is impossible.
Speaking on behalf of the least developed countries (LDCs) group, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli said that millions of their children are going hungry every day, highlighting the clear inequality evident around the globe. “Nothing could be more unjust and ethnical than to be ignorant to the fact that millions of people in LDCs live in extreme poverty while a small minority in some corners of the world accumulate billions in wealth,” he said, noting that this is not the future that humanity should aspire towards. “The International community must act now to ensure every child and young person has the chance to thrive.”
Nangolo Mbumba, president of Namibia, noted that the world is at a crossroads. One path leads to environmental catastrophe, widening inequality, global conflict, destruction and the rise of dangerous technology that threatens peoples’ security and civil liberties; the other, to peace, the eradication of poverty and hunger and the responsible harnessing of digital technologies for the benefit of humanity.
Olaf Scholz, chancellor of Germany, urged those present to take steps towards a more peaceful, fairer world, stating that, while “the road ahead is rocky,” history will judge member states for their commitment to the plan at hand. The pact can serve as a compass towards cooperation instead of conflict, showing determination to restore international justice and expelling all the talk of polarization, he added.
“We do not have time to waste,” stressed Sadyr Zhaparov, president of Kyrgyzstan, urging “decisive” action to strengthen the connections between nations and forge global partnerships to address challenges such as forced migration, climate threats and the unjust distribution of resources.
Stressing that “inaction is not an option,” Chandrikapersad Santokhi, president of Suriname, pointed to Caribbean nations’ lack of financial resources to invest in health, education and infrastructure due to external debt.
The failure to share global resources will continue to drive humanity to war, social disintegration and migration and “condemn us to live in two separate worlds”, said Mia Amor Mottley, prime minister of Barbados.
“The future is not distant,” stressed Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana. “It is here, and the choices we make here will determine the fate of generations to come.” No nation, regardless of power, can solve today’s challenges alone, he stated.
Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, highlighted the “great responsibilities to those who will succeed us,” and urged them not to back down from the promotion of equality between men and women and the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. He also stressed that “we cannot live with nuclear threats again, nor fuel new arms races on Earth or in space,” noting that it is unacceptable to regress to a world divided into ideological borders or zones of influence. ■