Democracy Without Borders’ Post

The Pact for the Future adopted at the UN's Summit of the Future this weekend acknowledges the need of a transformation of global governance. An opinion piece published today notes that the Summit "failed to deliver the radical change the world needs to truly live up to the UN objectives to maintain peace and security and achieve international cooperation in solving collective problems." In order to do so, the groundwork needs to be laid for a reform of the UN's founding document, the UN Charter, the article argues. Among other things, "a new charter could introduce a parliamentary assembly made up of representatives elected by the people of the world, giving them a say in the way world affairs are run and ushering in a whole new era of inclusion and representation." The piece is co-authored by Heba Aly, Coordinator of the UN Charter Reform Coalition; Brenda Mofya, head of Oxfam International’s UN Office; Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders; Tim Murithi, head of the Peacebuilding Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation; Augusto Lopez-Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum; and Fergus Watt, Coordinator of the Coalition for the UN We Need. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ewK3J5vk Subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ekPGH6bx #SummitoftheFuture #PactfortheFuture

In the bid to make the UN a more effective mechanism to address the range of challenges facing the world today, the UN's General Assembly in its recently concluded 79th session adopted a 'Pact for the Future' which aims to make multilateralism more inclusive and effective. See: https://lnkd.in/dkYi4WZa

The zero draft of the Pact for the Future—a first version of the agreement to seal September’s much-anticipated Summit of the Future—was introduced recently by co-facilitators Germany and Namibia to fellow Member States at the United Nations. The draft balances an array of diverse aspirations from all 193 UN members. Daniel Perell, Representative for the Bahá'í International Community to the UN, together with Florence Syevuo, Executive Director of the Coalition for the UN We Need, shared some thoughts on the draft Pact at PassBlue. "Why is the draft so important? It plants the seed toward instituting much-needed progress in how the world is governed. Some say this is not the time for global governance reform, that the world is far too divided. On the contrary, it is vital that we take responsibility to counter the forces of disintegration—and the UN must lead in this regard. It is imperative that the UN is empowered to move this agenda ahead." Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/e6rzqX2W

Today's UN institutions – as well as other international bodies – no longer reflect the balance of power in a changing, multipolar world. Therefore, they are in need of thorough reform. Moreover, it is high time to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Could the UN's Summit of the Future in September 2024 act as a catalyst for this change? https://lnkd.in/emRqpfJB

These few days in New York have been game-changing for the movement to reform the United Nations Charter, so that "We the People" get the global governance we deserve. On Thurs, Global Governance Forum launched its "Second Charter" report, with proposals for what a new Charter could look like, with Martin Kimani Ann Linde Global Challenges Foundation María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés: https://lnkd.in/dW58sPG6 On Sat, our newly launched UN Charter Reform Coalition hosted an event on the sidelines of the UN Summit of the Future with Maja Groff, Rebecca Shoot, Natalia N. Aishwarya Machani, Mark Malloch-Brown & Mary Robinson of The Elders Foundation: https://lnkd.in/dmuc3jvn On Mon, with Brenda Chikwe Mofya, Augusto Lopez-Claros, Fergus Watt, Tim Murithi, Andreas Bummel, I published this article in Al Jazeera Media Network making the case for re-writing the UN Charter: https://lnkd.in/dv6R-Bu6 And today, Brazilian President Lula da Silva made the call to reform the Charter at the UN General Assembly. Excerpt below: https://lnkd.in/dh8Xwzv3 Oh, and the Coalition launched its new website! https://lnkd.in/dCG_dWbb Momentum is growing, people! "About to turn 80, the United Nations Charter has never undergone comprehensive reform... The Charter’s current version fails to address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. When the UN was founded, we were 51 countries. We are now 193 countries. Several countries were under colonial rule when the UN was founded. They had no say over its goals and functioning. It is time to react vigorously to this situation... One-off adjustments are not enough. We need to think about reviewing and revising the Charter comprehensively. The reform should include the following goals:  - Transforming the Economic and Social Council into the main forum for dealing with sustainable development and the fight against climate change - Revitalizing the role of the General Assembly including in matters of international peace and security - Strengthening of the Peacebuilding Commission - Reform of the Security Council, focusing on its composition, working methods and veto powers in order to make it more effective and representative of contemporary realities. Excluding Latin America & Africa from the permanent seats of the Security Council is an unacceptable echo of domination practices from the colonial past. I have no illusions of the complexity of a reform like this, which will face crystalized interest in maintaining the status quo. It will require enormous negotiation effort. But that is our responsibility. We cannot wait for another world tragedy, like World War II, to only then build a new governance on its rubbles. The will of the majority can persuade those who cling to the raw expression and mechanisms of power."

📰UN adopts a new pact to address current realities and future challenges 📌The first United Nations “Summit of the Future” has adopted a pact for the Future that needs governments of the world to act responsibly to the crisis of today and the challenges of tomorrow.

UN charter reform! Super interisting initiative at the margins of the 2024 GA. Heba Aly and Maja Groff I see interesting perspectives in engaging the #ODC forexample Phanish Puranam for a organizational design perspective on UN reform.

https://lnkd.in/ew3GfBfN President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address at the G20 High-Level Opening Session resonates deeply with the need for reform and justice on the global stage. His emphasis on solidarity, equality, and sustainable development provides an important framework for change, especially from the perspective of the Global South. In 2026, the G20 presidency will fall back into the hands of the west - after Indonesian, Indian, Brazilian and South African presidencies. Let us pray that by then the call for reform of global governance and financial institutions will have been heard. Let's hope that the G20 by 2026 can catch up with the global majority and realise that the savagery of genocide, ecocide, settler socio-psychologies, and not-so-neo-colonialism, debt for climate adaptation and response etc etc etc - just don't have a place in the modern Global South-led world we are creating. #G20 #ClimateJustice #GlobalSouth #SustainableDevelopment #Ramaphosa #EndNeoColonialism #GlobalGovernance #freepalestine

The UN, an Organization Close to Breaking Point? “Ambassadors and international officials at the United Nations can agree on at least two things. One is that the UN needs serious reform to deal with global challenges, from climate change to the regulation of artificial intelligence. The other is that in today’s tense climate, its members will find it difficult, perhaps impossible, to agree on even limited reforms. While diplomats are preparing for a leaders-level Summit of the Future in September intended to overhaul the multilateral system, the negotiations may end up emphasizing global divisions,” RICHARD GOWAN writes. #unitednations #un #unsc #unreform #securitycouncil #unsecuritycouncil #thinkun

As we wrap up the Summit of the Future, Nudhara Yusuf and I take a moment to reflect on the evolution of the multilateral process from the 75th anniversary of the UN in 2020. In "A Better World" by the Human Development Forum, introduced by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, we explore how the Summit builds on his call to renew global solidarity and strengthen institutions to tackle today’s most pressing challenges. Our article highlights three key takeaways: 1️⃣ Strengthening Multilateralism: The Pact for the Future, agreed by 193 UN Member States, represents a bold step toward addressing global challenges through more inclusive and effective international cooperation. 2️⃣ Inclusive Reforms: From climate action to peacebuilding, the Summit sets the foundation for reforms that prioritize equity and sustainability, ensuring no one is left behind. 3️⃣ Looking Ahead: The UN75 Declaration was just the beginning—this Summit underscores the ongoing work needed to keep multilateralism relevant for future generations. Check out the full article, available in both English and German, for more insights on how these milestones are shaping the future of global governance. #UN75 #FutureSummit #Multilateralism #GlobalGovernance