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