World leaders at the United Nations Summit have officially adopted the so-called “Pact for the Future,” a sweeping agreement that purportedly aims to address the world’s most pressing issues.
However, beneath its glossy promises lies a dangerous move towards centralized, top-down control that could have devastating consequences for individual freedoms, national sovereignty, and democratic governance.
The Pact, hailed by the UN Secretary-General as a “vision for the future,” includes initiatives like the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
But for many, this reads more like a manifesto for totalitarian governance than a collaborative effort to improve international cooperation. This grandiose Pact is being marketed as the solution to the problems of tomorrow, but critics are rightfully sounding alarms over its deeply troubling implications.
One user wrote, “This international order is irredeemably corrupt and has pernicious aspirations. What they offer is global thecnocratic totalitarianism. We must resist this with all we have within us!! Sic semper tyrannis!!”
This international order is irredeemably corrupt and has pernicious aspirations. What they offer is global thecnocratic totalitarianism. We must resist this with all we have within us!!
Sic semper tyrannis!!#ourcommunistfuture
— John-Paul Berg (@SemperVeritasX) September 22, 2024
Another wrote, “The Pact for the Future has been adopted. More UN bureaucracy, more international funds to maintain, more global summits, more climate policy and more genderism. Less sovereignty, less efficiency. Instead of focusing on peace, the UN is pushing the world into the false hope of a paradise of “global governance.”
The Pact for the Future has been adopted.
More UN bureaucracy, more international funds to maintain, more global summits, more climate policy and more genderism.
Less sovereignty, less efficiency.
Instead of focusing on peace, the UN is pushing the world into the false hope…
— Jerzy Kwaśniewski (@jerzKwasniewski) September 22, 2024
Another commented, Pact for the future is the pact to enslave, remove borders, destroy sovereignty, give all to 1% of the world. The UN is the most dangerous org on the earth and people must demand their countries divest and dismantle the UN.”
Pact for the future is the pact to
enslave
remove borders
destroy sovereignty
give all to 1% of the worldThe UN is the most dangerous org on the earth and people must demand their countries divest and dismantle the UN
— JBA Meet me in the Middle extremes are Bad (@AdlerJoelle) September 22, 2024
The Global Digital Compact presents itself as a framework for digital cooperation and AI governance. But what it truly represents is an unprecedented attempt by unelected bureaucrats at the UN to gain control over the internet and the data of billions of people worldwide.
Hidden behind promises of “digital safety” and “human rights” is a commitment to centralize control of online content, allowing governments and global tech elites to dictate what is acceptable speech, effectively silencing dissent and curbing free expression.
Equally concerning are the Pact’s provisions on sustainable development and climate change, which essentially function as a Trojan horse for economic control.
The agreement calls for a reform of international financial institutions, granting more influence to developing countries. But in practice, this could lead to a redistribution of wealth and resources from prosperous nations to corrupt regimes with little regard for the rights or well-being of their citizens.
According to the press release:
“The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations open the door to new opportunities and untapped possibilities,” said the Secretary-General during his remarks at the opening of the Summit of the Future. The President of the General Assembly noted that the Pact would “lay the foundations for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order – for all peoples and nations.”
The Pact covers a broad range of issues including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance. Key deliverables in the Pact include:
In the area of peace and security
- The most progressive and concrete commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s, with plans to improve the effectiveness and representativeness of the Council, including by redressing the historical under-representation of Africa as a priority.
- The first multilateral recommitment to nuclear disarmament in more than a decade, with a clear commitment to the goal of totally eliminating nuclear weapons.
- Agreement to strengthen international frameworks that govern outer space, including a clear commitment to prevent an arms race in outer space and the need to ensure all countries can benefit from the safe and sustainable exploration of outer space.
- Steps to avoid the weaponization and misuse of new technologies, such as lethal autonomous weapons, and affirmation that the laws of war should apply to many of these new technologies.
On sustainable development, climate and financing for development
- The entire Pact is designed to turbo-charge implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- The most detailed agreement ever at the United Nations on the need for reform of the international financial architecture so that it better represents and serves developing countries, including:
- Giving developing countries a greater say in how decisions are taken at international financial institutions;
- Mobilizing more financing from multilateral development banks to help developing countries meet their development needs;
- Reviewing the sovereign debt architecture to ensure that developing countries can borrow sustainably to invest in their future, with the IMF, UN, G20 and other key players working together;
- Strengthening the global financial safety net to protect the poorest in the event of financial and economic shocks, through concrete actions by the IMF and Member States;
- and accelerating measures to address the challenge of climate change, including through delivering more finance to help countries adapt to climate change and invest in renewable energy.
- Improving how we measure human progress, going beyond GDP to capturing human and planetary wellbeing and sustainability.
- A commitment to consider ways to introduce a global minimum level of taxation on high-net-worth individuals.
- On climate change, confirmation of the need to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
On digital cooperation
- The Global Digital Compact, annexed to the Pact, is the first comprehensive global framework for digital cooperation and AI governance.
- At the heart of the Compact is a commitment to design, use and govern technology for the benefit of all. This includes commitments by world leaders to:
- Connect all people, schools and hospitals to the Internet;
- Anchor digital cooperation in human rights and international law;
- Make the online space safe for all, especially children, through actions by governments, tech companies and social media;
- Govern Artificial Intelligence, with a roadmap that includes an International Scientific Panel and a Global Policy Dialogue on AI;
- Make data more open and accessible, with agreements on open-source data, models, and standards;
- This is also the first global commitment to data governance, placing it on the UN agenda and requiring countries to take concrete actions by 2030.
Youth and future generations
- The first ever Declaration on Future Generations, with concrete steps to take account of future generations in our decision-making, including a possible envoy for future generations.
- A commitment to more meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, especially at the global level.
Human rights and gender
- A strengthening of our work on human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women.
- A clear call on the need to protect human rights defenders.
- Strong signals on the importance of engagement of other stakeholders in global governance, including local and regional governments, civil society, private sector and others.
There are provisions across the Pact and its annexes for follow-up action, to ensure that the commitments made are implemented.
