United Nations General Assembly: Strengthening of the United Nations system - Item 123: Summit of the Future

Statement delivered by Permanent Representative, H.E. Ms. Carolyn Schwalger

Mr. President,

As a member of the UN75 Leaders Network in 2020 and the co-facilitator of the Summit modalities resolution, with Oman, New Zealand is pleased to see the Summit of the Future come to fruition.

These two days have been long in the making.

The Summit of the Future has its genesis in 'Our Common Agenda', the UN Secretary-General's call for solidarity between people, countries, and generations, as well as a renewal of the multilateral system to accelerate the implementation of existing commitments and the filling of gaps in global governance.

We thank the Secretary-General for laying down the challenge.

In preparing for the Summit, Member States were beneficiaries of a significant investment by the UN system and beyond. This includes the exemplary policy briefs, the report of the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, and a myriad of initiatives to build trust and facilitate compromise.

New Zealand embraced the possibility of the Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact, and Declaration on Future Generations as an opportunity to drive action on pressing and emerging global challenges.

As a small state, New Zealand has long been a benefactor and beneficiary of the international rules-based system. We remain committed to engaging constructively in all efforts which seek to contemporise global governance for today and the future.

Size does not define influence at the United Nations. Small states have long been at the forefront of defending and strengthening the international rules-based system. New Zealand is proud to have participated in the Singapore-led small states grouping in the negotiation of the Pact for the Future.

President, colleagues.

Our multilateral system is imperfect. And while we have made significant strides through the convening of this Summit, we must not assume our job is done.

We must use the tools at our disposal to create a more representative and better networked United Nations which is properly equipped to respond to the challenges of our times and those which lie ahead.

Member States must do better to overcome division and competition. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, the triple planetary crisis, and unprecedented levels of conflict and suffering, this is no small task.

Never has it been more important to work across the kaleidoscope of fractures that punctuate progress in improving the well-being of people and the planet.

Consensus does not just happen, it needs to be forged. Consensus demands leadership. It rests upon foresight. It requires hard work.

We thank Germany and Namibia, Sweden and Zambia, and the Netherlands and Jamaica for their respective leadership in guiding negotiations on the Pact, the Compact, and the Declaration.

With regard to the Pact, we are pleased to see the relative balance between the three pillars of the UN: peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

We are satisfied that issues of importance to New Zealand, including gender, human rights, and sea-level rise, are reflected in the Pact.

We all have our disappointments. For New Zealand, language on nuclear disarmament falls well short of our collective goal of a nuclear-weapon free world and how we take concrete steps to achieve this.

We also wished for stronger language on the reform of the UN Security Council, although we do see some glimmers of hope.

New Zealand welcomes the Compact as an opportunity to foster an inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital future for everyone. This future rests on three essential pillars: human rights, multi-stakeholder governance, and inclusion.

And on the Declaration, New Zealand welcomes the concept that present generations act with responsibility toward safeguarding the needs and interests of future generations.

President, colleagues

As the geopolitical landscape continues to evolve, Member States must act with agency in protecting the UN Charter and international law, and in the implementation of the Pact.

And we must engage all stakeholders to ensure that what we do here at the United Nations has real world benefit for the communities we serve. We must work together, listen to each other, and rebuild trust to ensure the future we want for people and the planet.

Thank you.

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