UN Philippines briefs embassy representatives on Summit of the Future

Manila, 18 July. The United Nations and the German Embassy in Manila today jointly chaired a dialogue with the diplomatic community in the Philippines on progress towards the Summit of the Future, an event which will gather world leaders in New York in September to revitalize international cooperation on global challenges and opportunities.

Speaking before 24 representatives from various embassies, including three ambassadors, German Deputy Head of Mission to the Philippines Mathias Kruse emphasized the value of the Summit: “It is a very important chance for us, the international community, to address the burning questions on the table and get this process as far as we can get it, including necessary reform of the present international architecture.”

Germany is one of the co-facilitators of the Summit, together with Namibia, and played a key role in preparing the zero drafts of the agreements to be negotiated during the two-day high-level event.

In a video message for the briefing, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder shared the Summit’s goals and expected outputs. 

“The Summit of the Future is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape global governance for years to come,” he said. “Between now and September, we need to keep working together to champion ideas and to drive up ambition.”

Three documents will be agreed upon during the Summit. Most important among these is the Pact of the Future, which will tackle five key areas: sustainable development and financing for development; international peace and security; science, technology, innovation and digital cooperation; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance.

Also up for negotiation are the Global Digital Compact, which will focus on managing the opportunities and risks of emerging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, and the Declaration on Future Generations, which will outline commitments to protect the interests of generations that have yet to be born.

Consultations for these outcome documents have been ongoing since the start of the year to ensure that diverse groups, particularly those that are often marginalized, are represented and that their voices and perspectives are included in the national commitments that will be made.

Following the briefing, embassy representatives highlighted the need to mainstream actions in Pact of the Future on climate change and gender equality. 

“All of us here have a critical role in disseminating, explaining and building support for the proposals that will be presented and encouraging governments to send high-level representation to the Summit. Your support will help sustain momentum and facilitate the implementation of the major changes our multilateral system needs,” said Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines. 

The Summit of the Future will be held on 22-23 September 2024. Read the draft Revision 2 of the Pact of the Future here.