EU Statement – UN Closed Informal Consultation: the Summit of the Future

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EU Statement - UN Closed Informal Consultation: the Summit of the Future

29.07.2024 Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in New York

29 July 2024, New York - Statement by H.E. Ambassador Hedda Samson, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations, at the Closed Informal Consultation at Ambassadorial-level on Rev.2 and the Chapeau on the Summit of the Future/Pact for the Future

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*,Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*and Georgia, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Andorra, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Dear colleagues,

Let me start by thanking the co-facilitators once again for their able leadership. The revised text, with the Chapeau, is another important step in the right direction. You remained true to our collective asks for an action-oriented and ambitious Pact, allowing us to have extensive consultations which are reflected in this revised text.

While we have made another step forward, clearly we still have work to do. Difficult but important conversations still need to happen. Let us focus on the essentials, engage with one another and continue to better understand each other as we move on, without resorting to the lowest common denominator. The Summit is a milestone, but our journey will continue beyond it. If we have a strong and ambitious Pact by listening to and understanding each other, we can fully seize this opportunity to work for present and future generations, for all people and our planet.

Colleagues, we need a Pact that can reinstall trust in rules-based multilateralism and our ability to jointly address global challenges, and show all our citizens we are fighting to improve their lives and leave no one behind. Therefore, the Pact needs to adequately reflect ambitious actions in all three interrelated pillars of the UN: development, peace and security, and human rights. Adjustments need to be made in the text to set that balance right.

• Last time we met, we underscored that achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions, and to leave no one behind, is as big a priority for us as it is for others in this room. In that respect, we fully support the additions to eradicating poverty as well as ending hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. We hear the call to accelerate the reform of the international financial architecture and the WTO, mindful of the important work done towards achieving more equitable representation and access. At the same time, we must also undertake bolder commitments to reach a global level playing field, to acknowledge the further steps needed for a fairer and more equitable globalization and to tackle inequality within and among states.
• We appreciate the changes made to better reflect the importance of issues such as maritime security, the Women, Peace and Security and the Youth, Peace and Security Agendas, as well as the role of the ICJ. The Pact recommits to the UN Charter and its values, which is crucial in these times of widespread violations. We have all committed, and must again recommit to maintaining international peace and security, taking effective collective measures for the prevention of conflict, for peace operations, and for the suppression of acts of aggression. All these principles, laid down in the UN Charter, should be strongly reflected in the Pact. We stand ready to continue having cross-regional exchanges to do so.
• We need to be more aspirational on human rights and gender equality and make the proposed actions more concrete and oriented towards the future and the UN that we want. The text needs to be more ambitious on gender equality, for example by strengthening the CSW.
• Colleagues, last week the world witnessed the hottest day ever on Earth. We are facing one environmental catastrophe after the other at an accelerated pace, threatening the very livelihood of future generations. If we are not serious in addressing that, there will not be any future generations. It is thus disappointing that such a significant theme has been weakened in ambition: our commitment to tackle climate change, environmental degradation, and to preserve our global commons. We cannot accept a level of ambition that does not match the ongoing climate crisis. On climate, biodiversity, and the protection of our ocean, the current text shows only short-term vision, is not action-oriented and does not reflect the outcomes of the landmark COP28, where we collectively pledged to transition away from fossil fuels. We have lost the concept of environmental governance when we know that we must all act together to tackle the cross-boundary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. Let me be clear, our commitment to tackle climate change does not detract our attention to the importance of eradicating poverty and fighting hunger, or working for a more peaceful world, or safeguarding human rights. Climate change and environmental degradation are huge impediments to the fight against poverty. These are not issues to trade-off, but issues that need to be solved together in a synergistic manner.

Colleagues, let me finish with some more specific comments and suggestions on the Chapeau. We thank you for the opportunity to discuss this today. The Chapeau, which will in effect be our opening pledge to the world community, is short, concise and balanced - we welcome this.

• Overall, we fully support the emphasis placed on the crucial role of multilateralism, and the necessity for us to tackle the many, interconnected challenges we face today (paragraphs 5 and 6). We believe that paragraph 8 is of utmost importance: the primacy of international law and the UN Charter, its purposes and principles, to which we must jointly recommit. At the same time, the Chapeau could possibly use language that better communicates to the outside world.
• Thematically, let me outline five points:
  • First, we should have a paragraph that reflects the situation we are currently in, including mentioning conflicts - the highest number since WWII, while expressing political will and commitment to improve it.
  • Second, on human rights and gender equality (paragraphs 11 and 12): We would like to see broader references to international human rights law. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Beijing Declaration are important cornerstones, we must adequately reflect our full commitment to this pillar. We also see a need to further work on some of the language, for example on the right to development.
  • Third, the existential risks of climate change and environmental degradation will affect actions under all chapters in the Pact and this topic is currently underrepresented in the Chapeau. We fully support the reference to mitigating global CO₂ emissions (para 9) - but it is not enough. Considering the foreseen impacts that environmental degradation has on livelihoods, migration, natural resources - and other, we want to strengthen the Chapeau in this regard and add a paragraph solely dedicated to climate and the environment. We should also take into consideration "the health of our planet" in paragraph 3 and 4.
  • Fourth, we appreciate that paragraph 10 pledges to protect the future generations from the scourge of war, but we would like to reflect better the state of our world today and add a reference to acts ofaggression here.
  • Fifth, in a time of drastically changing digital world, we should include a reference to the risks and opportunities of digital and new and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.

Finally, we support the suggested timeline to review the implementation of the actions of the Pact in the 83^rd session of the General Assembly (2028), mindful that the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations will have their own review processes. Accountability to implement what we agree is indeed important.

We look forward to further engaging with you all.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.