Pact for the Future: A Partly Open Door for NGO-U.N. Cooperation
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 7 Oct 2024
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
3 Oct 2024 – The Pact for the Future was accepted by the U.N. General Assembly in a three-stage process. The first stage was a nearly year-long drafting of the document with many small revisions in the 56 paragraphs setting out the goal of a renewed United Nations better able to guarantee peace and development. The second stage was a last moment motion by the Russian Federation which asked for a vote, finding some of the wording, especially on human rights too strong. The Russian motion was put to a vote with 143 States voting for the text of the Pact, 15 abstentions, and 7 opposed (Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Nicaragua.)
After this vote, the President of the General Assembly called for a vote by acclamation. Everyone applauded, some more vigorously than others. Thus the Pact was adopted by consensus.
The Pact should be seen as a springboard for action rather than as an end point. With the 193 U.N. members potentially involved in drafting the document, there was a need for compromises and general ideas rather than any new specific proposals. The Pact is a reaffirmation of the goals and processes of the United Nations system, but it also notes the need for constant renewal. In paragraph 6, the Pact states “We recognize that the multilateral system and its institutions, with the United Nations and its Charter at the center, must be strengthened to keep pace with a changing world. They must be fit for the present and the future – effective and capable, prepared for the future, just, democratic, equitable and representative of today’s world, inclusive, interconnected and financially stable.”
Paragraph 9 states “We also reaffirm that the three pillars of the United Nations – sustainable development – peace and security, and human rights – are equally important, interlinked and mutually reinforcing. We cannot have one without the others.”
In practice, it was easier to stress sustainable development since the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals had already been set out, through progress is very uneven. For peace and security, there are articles 25 and 26 stating that “We will advance the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. We will uphold our disarmament obligations and commitments.” A culture of peace is mentioned in a number of places, but no specific steps are set out.
For two days prior to the governments’ discussion and voting on the Pact, there was what were called “Action Days” to which were invited non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics working on U.N. issues, and the representatives of business corporations involved in international trade. The two days were certainly a time for networking if not for “action”.
The Pact is a partially open door for U.N. cooperation with NGOs stating in a general way the “participation of relevant stakeholders in appropriate formats.” More specifically the Pact calls to “Facilitate more structured, meaningful and inclusive engagement of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in the activities of the Council in line with ECOSOC resolution 1996/21.” The door of the Pact was most open to youth calling for an increase in the representation of youth, which can only be via NGOs. We will have to see what as NGO representatives we can make of the partly open door.
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René Wadlow is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of Transnational Perspectives.
Tags: NGO, UN Summit of the Future, United Nations
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 7 Oct 2024.
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