By :Gloria Amoh
The Summit of the Future will take place in New York, where global leaders are negotiating critical reforms to outdated international governance structures. Convened by the United Nations, the summit addresses the growing gap between modern global challenges—such as escalating conflicts, deepening geopolitical divisions, inequality, and the climate crisis—and the old systems designed to manage them. The leaders recognize the urgent need for a major overhaul to keep pace with accelerating global issues.
Many of today’s global institutions were established in the 1940s, long before the current era of globalization, digital technology, and evolving human rights. These institutions, like the UN Security Council, still reflect the power dynamics of a post-World War II world, leaving large regions like Africa without adequate representation. The global financial system, similarly, continues to disadvantage developing countries, trapping them in debt and preventing them from making necessary investments in their people and future.
A key solution proposed is the New Agenda for Peace, which seeks to reform international institutions to better prevent and resolve conflicts. This includes updating the UN Security Council, expanding the definition of security to encompass new threats like gender-based violence, and developing agreements to address the dangers of autonomous weapons and evolving warfare technologies. Additionally, reforming global financial institutions is essential for helping developing nations manage debt and finance their transitions to sustainable energy, which is crucial to combating climate change.
The summit also focuses on managing disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need for global cooperation to ensure ethical governance and inclusive benefits. Human rights and gender equality are central to the proposed reforms, with a call for dismantling the barriers that exclude women from leadership and decision-making. Ultimately, the summit offers a chance to build more effective, inclusive institutions for the 21st century, reflecting today’s multipolar world and preparing for the challenges ahead.
The Summit of the future by the UN Security Council is bound to take place from 20th to 23rd September, 2024in New York. Just as strategized, the first two days thus 20th -21st will be Actions while 22nd to 23rdis slated for the summit itself.
