In the ratified version of the agreement, leaders committed to bolstering multilateralism to “keep pace with a changing world” and to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
At the Future Summit in New York on Sunday, the international community adopted a “Pact for the Future,” targeting the broad challenges of the 21st century, media reported.
“The Pact for the Future was adopted by member countries by consensus at UN headquarters in New York. The adoption will help pave the way for greater international cooperation for our common future,” the official UN account told X.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his reliance on the recently approved pact, which was negotiated by Germany and Namibia several months prior, to foster renewed trust within the United Nations.
What is the Pact for the Future?
In the ratified version of the agreement, leaders committed to enhancing multilateralism to “adapt to an evolving world” and “safeguard the needs and interests of present and future generations” amid “ongoing crises.”
The agreement details 56 “actions,” including pledges to multilateralism, compliance with the UN Charter, and support for peacekeeping. It contains declarations to reform the UN Security Council and calls for modifying the international financial system to benefit the so-called Global South.
Additionally, it urges increased efforts to address climate change, advance disarmament, and steer the development of artificial intelligence.
The agreement vows to expedite actions to fulfill the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, eliminate extreme poverty by 2030, intensify the battle against hunger, and foster gender equality and education.
Professor Francis Boyle on the “Pact for the Future”
The UN General Assembly vote was 143-7-15, with Russia, Nicaragua, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Belarus opposing, and China and Cuba among the 15 abstentions.
“The Covenant for the Future will be signed by heads of state and government, who are assumed to have the extraordinary and plenipotentiary authority to bind their nations unilaterally under international law.
As such, this Covenant will be considered a Treaty as per the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, carrying all the legal obligations of a Treaty under both international law and the domestic constitutional laws of the involved States.
This Pact would bypass the established processes for amending the Charter of the United Nations as specified within it. It would position the Secretary-General of the United Nations as the leader of the entire United Nations Organization, particularly in “emergency” situations as he defines them.
Currently, there are six autonomous organs of the United Nations: the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat.
This is the reason he is referred to as the Secretary-General, a mere Secretary, rather than the Director-General.
These six UN bodies were intentionally established at the San Francisco Conference to operate independently, with none having authority over the others.
Nonetheless, this Covenant suggests that the UN Secretary-General would, contrary to the UN Charter’s provisions, assume all the powers of the General Assembly, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the Secretariat, as well as those of all UN Specialized Agencies and Associated Agencies.
He would thus assume the role of the absolute sovereign of the United Nations, rather than its Secretary, accountable solely for the Secretariat, as initially intended at the San Francisco Conference.
Such a totalitarian arrangement could present a grave and immediate danger to the sovereignty and independence of all United Nations Member States. For these reasons, I urge you to vehemently oppose this Pact for the Future,” he stated.
The pact for the future is viewed by many as a rehearsal and simulation of the so-called global governance that some are eager to enforce globally.
