By Reneva Fourie
A heartbreaking story to witness is the unapologetic, ongoing tragedy in Palestine alongside the devastating conflict in eastern Europe and across Africa, resulting in the bloodshed of many innocent lives. These issues, together with the growing inequality and the rise of the right-wing globally, have a profound impact on us all. It is no wonder that many have lost faith in the United Nations (UN).
That is why the UN’s efforts to revive multilateralism and rebuild trust in the global governance system through its September ‘Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’ are commendable. However, for the Summit to be meaningful, the estimated 712 million people living in extreme poverty worldwide, with 429 million residing in Africa, must be at the core of its agenda.
The Summit, a global gathering taking place in New York and co-facilitated by Germany and Namibia, appears to be an inclusive event. Among its participants are an estimated 130 presidents or prime ministers and representatives of some 7,000 non-governmental organisations. The facilitators have made visible efforts to incorporate a wide range of perspectives, with prior consultations processing over 500 inputs.
One of these crucial consultation forums, the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference, took place in Kenya in May. It brought together 2,158 participants from civil society organisations based in 99 countries, ensuring a balanced representation: Africa 73%, west Europe and others 16%, Asia Pacific 8%, Latin America 2% and Eastern Europe 1%. The consultations aimed to shape an action-oriented ‘Pact for the Future’ to be adopted at the Summit in line with UN resolution 76/307.
The Summit’s content, with its focus on addressing current and emerging global challenges and opportunities, also conveys the relevant messaging. Building on the UN 2021 Secretary General’s report titled ‘Our Common Agenda,’ the Summit tackles sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights issues. The pact, founded on these three core principles of the UN, acknowledges their equal significance, interconnectedness and mutual reinforcement.
It emphasises the need for concrete measures to expedite and allocate resources for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), prioritising eradicating poverty and eliminating food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition. Additionally, the pact addresses issues related to climate change, the necessity for peace, respect for sovereignty and the right to self-determination, and the establishment of inclusive societies free from racism, xenophobia, and sexism.
The pact also includes a commitment to ensuring that new and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and space exploration, are accessible and people-centred while simultaneously working to reduce the potential risks associated with their misuse.
The Summit ticks all the boxes regarding consultation, inclusion of the marginalised and pro-poor content. However, its impact is limited because the UN lacks the authority to ensure the establishment of an environment conducive to its implementation.
Stability and finance are essential for achieving the SDGs and eliminating poverty and hunger. Sustainable development cannot progress in conditions of conflict or without the necessary resources. While the Summit discussions include transforming the global governance system, attempts to reform the Security Council and the structure of international financial institutions are proving to be contentious.
Discussions about reforming the Security Council focus primarily on achieving equitable representation and increasing the number of permanent and non-permanent members. Current permanent Security Council members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – the P5.
The pact commits to providing a special dispensation for Africa and improving ‘the representation of the under-represented and unrepresented regions and groups, such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean’.
The United States supports establishing two permanent seats for African states and one seat to be rotated among small island developing states. It also supports granting permanent seats on the council to India, Japan, and Germany. But while representativity is long overdue, given the current trajectory, it is unlikely to make a difference.
The P5 wields significant power to veto and prevent Security Council resolutions that go against their national interests. For example, the US has exercised its veto power on at least 34 occasions to prevent the passage of UN Security Council resolutions aimed at criticising Israel. This power has had a significant impact, as UN resolutions are often ignored without repercussions.
For instance, Israel continues to illegally occupy the Golan Heights, the Shebaa Farms, and territories in Palestine, and is expanding its genocide in Gaza to include the West Bank and Lebanon as it knows that the US protects it. The UN has been unable to protect even its own staff, with at least 220 agency staff having been murdered by Israel since October 7.
Likewise, the discussions on reforming the international financial architecture, including the Bretton Woods institutions, are focused on improving representation. However, addressing the policy positions enforced by these institutions that worsen poverty and inequality is crucial. For instance, more attention to the impact of economic structural reforms that promote austerity, state downsizing, and privatising essential services is required.
Additionally, the colonial remnants of sovereign borrowing costs must be considered, and the scrapping of debt should be pushed. There is also a need to address the unilateral coercive measures used by member states to bring about regime change, including the weaponisation of trade and the misuse of the SWIFT system. These are important issues that deserve proper attention and consideration.
Despite its limitations in fundamentally transforming the UN Security Council and the global financial architecture, the intentions behind the Summit remain noteworthy and significant. The organisers made tremendous efforts to ensure that a wide array of voices were included. The Summit marks a necessary start to shedding light on the changing diplomatic landscape and exploring potential paths forward.
Continued engagements of this nature will help align the UN with the increasing global demand for a fairer, more peaceful and multipolar world. We look forward to the day the UN becomes a more effective and relevant global governing body.
* Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security
** The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media