World leaders attending the United Nations Summit of the Future have adopted an outcome document on action guidelines for the international community to resolve global issues.
The two-day summit opened at UN headquarters in New York City on Sunday, ahead of an annual debate at the UN General Assembly.
The Pact for the Future, adopted at the onset of the meeting, has five chapters: “Sustainable development and financing for development,” “International peace and security,” “Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation,” “Youth and future generations,” and “Transforming global governance.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to jointly address climate change and other shared challenges.
He said, “Throughout my life — whether as a political activist or at the United Nations — I have learned that people never agree on the past. To rebuild trust, we must start with the present and look to the future.”
But before the text was adopted, six countries, including Russia, North Korea and Iran, introduced an amendment and expressed dissatisfaction, saying the pact could interfere in another country’s affairs.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said the text contains content that is suitable to Western countries.
Their objection exposed division within the international community.