September 23, 2024
Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America was quoted in an article by Dawn Clancy of International Centre For Dialogue Initiatives on the United Nations’ Pact for the Future’s language:
Fraught negotiations over the Pact’s final language
Fraught from the start, member states sparred for months over language related to human rights, artificial intelligence, and fossil fuels, a contentious sticking point for Saudi Arabia who, during negotiations, pushed back on passages that recognized the threat of fossil fuels to the environment.
“Their strategy has been to block reference to the very clear scientific and social and economic need to transition away from fossil fuels and pack the section with “loopholes” said Alex Rafalowicz, executive director of the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty initiative. The language in the final draft has improved, but it’s still “far short of what the world needs today, let alone for the future,”
Although world leaders were able to drag the pact over the finish line, the apparent friction has left some within and beyond the carpeted halls of the UN doubtful the document – which relies, in part, on consensus language from existing agreements – can deliver on its promise for a global transformation.
“Yes, [the pact] has a lot of motherhood statements, but what is different?” said Anit Mukherjee, senior fellow for the Global Economics and Development program at Observer Research Foundation America, a nonprofit think-tank. “What’s different between this pact and others that have come before, and what is it going to change on the ground?”
The Pact for the Future – the outcome document of the Summit of the Future – has 56 action items that address five areas of global concern, including sustainable development and financing, international peace and security, digital cooperation, youth and future generations and transforming global governance. It also includes two separate annexes, a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
Subject to change, the speaker’s list shows that 130 heads of state and government were scheduled to speak at the Summit of the Future. However, unlike the General Assembly high-level week, which coincides with the summit, no leaders from the P5 countries – United States, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia – spoke at the summit.