The highlight of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week was the Summit of the Future. This was called for in UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ “Our Common Agenda” report. Following the conclusion of the UNGA, it is timely to reflect on what went on during those action-packed days.

• The ‘New Agenda for Peace’ policy brief provides a framework which can guide the implementation of the ‘Pact for the Future’
• The 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review will be an opportunity to build on recommendations made in the ‘New Agenda for Peace’
• Specific actions in the Pact related to Security Council reform are relevant to the Peacebuilding Commission

The highlight of this UNGA was the Summit of the Future, the culmination of three years of negotiations among nations, and the transition to a new phase of conversation. The themes were raised in UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ “Our Common Agenda” report, which called for the Summit. Critically, Member States agreed on a Pact for the Future to support much-needed reform to the multilateral system in order to pave the way towards durable peace and global prosperity. 

Four years ago, when Member States celebrated the 75th anniversary of the UN, they acknowledged that the multilateral order was in peril. The world’s nations increasingly struggled to adequately address the global nature of shared challenges in a way that met the needs of current and future generations, especially in relation to issues of peace and security. It was in that vein that Member States turned to the Secretary-General to “report back before the end of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly with recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges.” In that report the Secretary-General addressed a number of challenges to multilateralism that were preventing the world’s governing institutions and mechanisms from delivering on the promise of the UN Charter – including grappling with new and emerging threats to peace and security. This was followed by a policy brief on a New Agenda for Peace. 

Though the policy brief is noted only once in the Pact for the Future, it provides language, policy proposals, and recommendations that actors can take forward in the coming years – starting with how they engage in the informal processes of the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR) that is currently underway. For example, the Secretary-General declares in the policy brief that, “We must dismantle the patriarchy and oppressive power structures which stand in the way of progress on gender equality or women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in political and public life.” The brief also emphasizes links between climate, peace, and security, warning that, “A business-as-usual approach will fail in a warming world. Innovative solutions to address the climate crisis, protect the most vulnerable, tackle the differentiated impacts on women and men and promote climate justice will send a resounding signal of solidarity.” It also calls for further coherence between climate action and peacebuilding efforts, especially in regards to the diversification of funding. 

The PBAR will be an opportunity to build on the many recommendations made in the New Agenda for Peace. It provides space for actors across the UN system to draw connections, establish coherence, and build shared understanding of how the General Assembly, as the most representative UN body, and the Security Council can work together to strengthen the Peacebuilding Commission. Actions 40 and 41 of the Pact for the Future call for the continuation of the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform. There is much that can be done by Member States to bolster this call and build on support to push for a more responsive Council which works more efficiently with regional organizations. Ongoing deadlock around multiple global conflicts demonstrates all too clearly the need for a more effective Security Council that can facilitate a peaceful and stable global order.

Moving forward, actors can ensure that these complementary documents, the New Agenda for Peace and the Pact for the Future, translate aspirations into action. Diverse actors should, for example, actively collaborate as they engage in upcoming processes. Though many closed-door meetings will take place ahead of the formal PBAR, those involved might consider convening an open town hall for all relevant actors to publicly discuss the most critical issues regarding the 2025 review. Such a gathering of Member States, concerned UN agencies, and civil society organizations could ensure that all are on the same page about the type of coordinated actions and commitments needed in the years ahead. It is equally critical that implementation of the Pact becomes a national and international imperative. Support for effective implementation of the Pact from the national level would do much to restore trust in the multilateral system. Citizens around the world have a shared stake in the continued functioning of the UN, the only body in which world governments convene to consult on shared, international concerns. 

Here at the Baha’i International Community, we have learned the importance of creating spaces for meaningful dialogue and exploration to address root causes of conflict. We look forward to continuing to foster engagement in these kinds of spaces across the UN system.