Press release

Open Letter on the United Nations Pact for the Future

July 2024

To Heads of State and Government, United Nations Member States:

Excellencies,

As international leaders who have served as heads of state, ministers of government and leaders of intergovernmental and civil society organizations, we believe that the Pact for the Future, the main outcome document under negotiation for this September’s Summit of the Future, must establish robust and accountable follow-up mechanisms in order to effectively revitalize global governance with the United Nations at its core.

The most recent draft of the proposed Pact presents over 50 “Action” paragraphs, each underpinned by concrete commitments. To ensure that the promises made in the Pact for the Future result in actionable steps led by Member States, international organizations and their partners, governments must ensure that the Pact’s key Actions and Commitments are supported directly by concurrent implementation efforts, backed-up by clear benchmarks and monitoring mechanisms.

Civil Society has demonstrated a capacity and commitment to work toward a successful Summit outcome, including through the introduction of a bold and far-reaching People’s Pact for the Future. At the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Support of the Summit of the Future, held May 9-10 in Nairobi, Kenya, delegates established some 20 promising “ImPACT Coalitions,” to raise the ambition and support follow-up on Pact for the Future Actions and Commitments. The people of the world expect governments to do their part. They must deliver on promises made and implement their commitments, thus building trust and ensuring the wellbeing of present and future generations.

The Summit of the Future presents both an important milestone and another step in the long journey toward greater justice, security, and sustainable development for all nations and peoples. Success will hinge on robust Summit follow-up. With the active, sustained engagement of civil society around the world who share the vision and aspiration of more effective multilateralism,  UN Member States should ensure a clear, well-designed and dynamic roadmap to implement the Pact for the Future.

 

Sincerely,

  1. Carole Ageng’o, Co-Chair, 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference
  2. María Elena Agüero, Secretary General, Club de Madrid
  3. Haifa Al Kaylani, former Commissioner, ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work
  4. Carlos Alvarado, former President of Costa Rica 
  5. Lloyd Axworthy, former Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada
  6. Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile
  7. Jan Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of The Netherlands
  8. Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations
  9. Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, Oxfam International
  10. Anita Bhatia, former Assistant Secretary-General and UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director for Resource Security Management, UN System Coordination, Sustainability and Partnerships.
  11. Valdis Birkavs, former Prime Minister of Latvia
  12. Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway
  13. Kathy Calvin, former President and Chief Executive Officer, United Nations Foundation
  14. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand
  15. Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca, former President of Malta
  16. María Fernanda Espinosa, former President of the United Nations General Assembly and current Executive Director, GWL Voices
  17. Cristina Gallach, former United Nations Under Secretary General and former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Spain
  18. Ibrahim Gambari, former Foreign Minister of Nigeria and former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
  19. Mbaranga Gasarabwe, former Deputy Special Representative, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali 
  20. Dalia Grybauskaitė, former President of Lithuania
  21. Alfred Gusenbauer, former Chancellor of Austria
  22. Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland
  23. Han Seung-Soo, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea
  24. Jane Holl Lute, former UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Department of Field Support and for the Peacebuilding Support Office
  25. Shamil Idriss, Chief Executive Officer, Search for Common Ground
  26. Mehdi Jomaa, former Prime Minister of Tunisia
  27. Ivo Josipovic, former President of Croatia
  28. Azza Karam, President and CEO, Lead Integrity
  29. Horst Köhler, former President of Germany
  30. Chandrika Kumaratunga, former President of Sri Lanka
  31. Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister of Belgium
  32. Susana Malcorra, former Foreign Affairs Minister of Argentina and current President, GWL Voices
  33. Beckie Malay, GCAP Philippines and Asian Civil Society Partnership for Sustainable Development. 
  34. Moussa Mara, former Prime Minister of Mali
  35. Rexhep Meidani, former President of Albania
  36. James Michel, former President of Seychelles
  37. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, former Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat
  38. Tim Murithi, Head of the Peacebuilding Interventions Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town
  39. José Antonio Ocampo, former United Nations Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs and former Finance Minister, Colombia
  40. Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, Executive Director, Nigeria Network of NGOs
  41. Flavia Pansieri, former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
  42. Anand Panyarachun, former Prime Minister of Thailand
  43. PJ Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, 
  44. Daniel Perell, Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN We Need
  45. Ted Piccone, Nonresident Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy and Technology, Brookings Institution
  46. Richard Ponzio, Director, Global Governance, Justice & Security Program, Stimson Center
  47. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former President of Spain
  48. Petre Roman, former Prime Minister of Romania
  49. Isabel de Saint Malo, former Vice-President and Foreign Minister of Panama
  50. Fatiha Serour, former UN Deputy Special Representative and Assistant Secretary-General in Somalia
  51. Wolfgang Schüssel, former Chancellor of Austria
  52. Jenny Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand
  53. Juan Somavia, former Director, International Labour Organization
  54. Florence Syevuo, Executive Director, SDGs Kenya Forum and Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN We Need
  55. Jigmi Yosef Thinley, former Prime Minister of Bhutan
  56. Mandeep Tiwana, Representative to the UN and Chief Officer – Evidence and Engagement, CIVICUS 
  57. Danilo Türk, former Prime Minister of Slovenia and President, Club de Madrid
  58. Melanne Verveer, former Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, United States
  59. Erna Witoelar, former Minister of Human Settlements and Regional Development, Indonesia
  60. Soon-Young Yoon, Representative of the International Alliance of Women to the United Nations and Founder and Co-director of the Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project
  61. Nudhara Yusuf, Co-Chair, 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference