22-08-2024
The Pact for the Future is aimed at implementing concrete measures to protect the needs and interests of present and future generations. It has recently undergone a second revision in preparation for the United Nations Summit of the Future to be held on 22 and 23 September. As one of the flagship measures of this event, the Pact must be approved and signed by Member States.
The outcome document of the Summit currently comprises 82 points divided into 5 chapters: Sustainable development and financing for development, International Peace and Security, Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation, Youth and Future Generations, Transforming global governance and includes two annexes: the Declaration for Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact.
What actions will be implemented to protect Future Generations?
From the outset, the United Nations recognises the consequences of the actions and inactions of previous years and stresses that not only the younger generations but also future generations will have to live with them. With this in mind, it is committed to improving the level of involvement of young people at national and international level, and recognises the importance of their contribution to sustainable development, human rights, peace and security.
Although children – integrated only after the second revision – and young people are grouped with future generations, the UN makes clear that they each constitute a distinct group. It then reiterates the necessity to give priority to the needs and interests of future generations, while balancing them with the needs and interests of current generations when developing policies.
This fourth chapter of the Pact for the Future is then divided into four key actions, each containing several measures to be implemented.
- ‘Action 37. We will invest in the social and economic development of children and young people so they can reach their full potential.’
This action focuses on investing in essential social services for children and young people, particularly in the areas of health, education and social protection, while ensuring that they have equitable access to these services in order to promote their social and economic development.
- ‘Action 38. We will promote, protect and respect the human rights of all young people and foster social inclusion and integration.’
Here, the UN reaffirms the importance of guaranteeing the full enjoyment of the rights of all young people, protecting them from violence and promoting social inclusion and integration, with a focus on the poorest people, in vulnerable situations and facing multiple forms of discrimination.
Including Future Generations in the decision-making processes
One of the main challenges for children, young people and future generations is their lack of representation in the current decision-making model, which gives precedence to short-term decisions over future needs and interests. To remedy this situation, the Pact for the Future agrees on two actions at national and international level.
- ‘Action 39. We will strengthen meaningful youth participation at the national level.’
In this regard, the UN recognises the important contribution that young people are already making to the promotion of human rights, sustainable development, peace and security in their own countries. They go on to make a point of systematically listening to them and taking into account their needs and aspirations, including encouraging the establishment of mechanisms at the national level to consult young people and provide them with meaningful opportunities to participate in national policy and decision-making processes, establishing intergenerational dialogues to build stronger partnerships between people of different age groups, improving the representation of young people in political structures, especially young women and providing accessible and transparent funding and capacity-building support for youth-led and youth-focused organisations.
- ‘Action 40. We will strengthen meaningful youth participation at the international level.’
At the same time, at the international level, the UN wishes, among other things, to ensure the participation of young people in intergovernmental processes, including in national delegations to intergovernmental discussions at the UN General Assembly, to raise awareness of the UN Youth Fund and encourage contributions, and to ask the Secretary-General to continue to develop basic principles for the meaningful, representative, inclusive and safe participation of young people in relevant intergovernmental processes.
Although only one chapter is devoted to future generations, it is worth noting that the other actions defined in the pact are aimed at ensuring a more sustainable future. While the interests of future generations are increasingly at the heart of political concerns, much remains to be done after the summit to ensure that the ambitious commitments outlined in the document are effectively adopted and implemented by Member States.