UN reform plan adopted despite Russian opposition

The international community at the Summit of the Future in New York on Sunday adopted a "Pact for the Future" aimed at addressing the sweeping challenges of the 21st century, despite Russian efforts to derail the agreement.

"The Pact for the Future has been adopted by member countries by consensus at UN Headquarters in New York. The adoption will help pave the way for greater international cooperation for our common future," the UN official account wrote on X.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who organized the "Summit of the Future," called it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reshape human history by reinvigorating international cooperation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was counting on the adopted pact, which had been negotiated by Germany and Namibia over many months, to create new trust in the United Nations.

"The Pact for the Future can serve as a compass for us. A compass whose needle points towards more cooperation and partnership, instead of towards more conflict and fragmentation," Scholz said.

What is the Pact for the Future?

In the adopted version of the pact, the leaders pledged to strengthen the multilateral system to "keep pace with a changing world" and to "protect the needs and interests of current and future generations" facing "persistent crisis."

The pact outlines 56 "actions," including commitments to multilateralism, upholding the UN Charter and peacekeeping.

This pact includes declarations of intent to reform the UN Security Council and calls for an adjustment of the international financial system in favor of the so-called Global South.

It also calls for renewed efforts to combat climate change, promote disarmament, and guide the development of artificial intelligence.

The pact promises to accelerate efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030, intensify the fight against hunger, and promote gender equality and education. 

Russian opposition to the pact

Russia distanced itself from the agreement, which was supposed to be adopted unanimously. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said that the countries that were not satisfied with the agreement had not been given the opportunity for further negotiations.

"If our amendment is not included in the text of the pact, we will also distance ourselves from the consensus on this document," Vershinin said, introducing an amendment emphasizing the "principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states" and urging the UN to avoid duplicating efforts.

Immediately after the Russian announcement, the Democratic Republic of the Congo submitted a motion to reject Russia's move, which was accepted by a majority of 143 votes in the UN General Assembly.

After the pact was adopted, Russia's deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy in a post on X called it "unbalanced" and "a huge blow to the organization as a whole." Russia's objections were backed by allies Belarus, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua and Syria.

Diplomats had already been concerned about Russia's obstructionism during work on the pact but had reportedly expected Russia to support the painstakingly negotiated compromise despite its threats. 

dh/kb (AFP, dpa)