UN chief calls for 'courage' ahead of Summit of the Future

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for world leaders to show greater "vision" and "courage" in their approach to the future, as a crunch summit on the threats and opportunities of the coming years nears.

In 2021, Guterres conceived the Summit of the Future, which on September 22 will see all 193 UN member nations seek to adopt a pact on what lays ahead, as a prelude to the annual General Assembly, which brings together world leaders.

Despite intense negotiations, the last version of the draft text published in August has been panned by observers as badly lacking in ambition.

"My appeal is for you to push hard for the deepest reforms and most meaningful actions possible. We need maximum ambition during these final days of negotiation," Guterres said Thursday in a video statement issued to coincide with a virtual event 10 days ahead of the summit.

"We have no effective global response to new and even existential threats," he said highlighting the challenges posed by climate change, as well as artificial intelligence being developed in an "ethical and legal vacuum."

He flagged nuclear threats, the perils of populism, raging conflict and geopolitical divisions.

"Our institutions cannot keep up, because they were designed for another era and another world. The Security Council is stuck in a time warp -- the international financial architecture is outdated and ineffective -- and we are simply not equipped to take on a wide range of emerging issues," he said.

"I call on Member States to act swiftly, with vision, courage, solidarity and a spirit of compromise" to get the three draft agreements over the finish line.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, which along with Namibia is facilitating the negotiations, said there was at least some good news.

"An overwhelming majority of countries in the world agree on the goals that humanity should be striving for: We want a world that is safe, peaceful, just, equal, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous," he said.

"The Pact offers us the chance to change the narrative of division, polarization and uncertainty. It offers us the chance to show the world that cooperation still yields results. That multilateralism is alive," he added, while acknowledging the hurdles to reaching agreement.

The text under discussion contains around 60 "actions" on everything from the importance of multilateralism to respect for the UN Charter and peacekeeping.

It also emphasizes the need for reform of international financial institutions and the UN Security Council, as well as the fight against climate change, the importance of disarmament and the development of artificial intelligence.

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