Member States have made progress in the talks towards the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations. These two agreements, together with the Pact for the Future, are expected to be adopted by the Summit of the Future (SoF) in September. The negotiating texts are available as ‘Revision 2’ (REV2) documents.

In a letter dated 2 July 2024, Permanent Representative of Jamaica Brian Christopher Manley Wallace and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands Yoka Brandt, the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process on a Declaration on Future Generations, note that REV2 “has been carefully crafted to reflect the collective insights and interventions made by Member States to date.” It is the co-facilitators’ belief that the draft “successfully addresses the needs and interests of future generations while reflecting the priorities and actions envisioned by Member States.”

The five-page REV2 document consists of a preamble, guiding principles, commitments, and actions. The draft still includes some options, brackets, and placeholders.

Accompanying the letter is an explanation of concepts provided by the co-facilitators during informal consultations on 1 July. The document explains the notions of “future-proofing,” “anticipatory and forward-looking,” “future-oriented organizational culture,” and “futures literacy.”

The presentation of REV2 took place on 8 July. The third reading was held on 9 July and will continue on 19 July. “The aim of this consultation is to foster a collective understanding of the way forward,” the co-facilitators note, inviting Permanent Representatives “to focus their remarks on priorities and issues of strategic importance.”

REV2 of the Global Digital Compact is also available on the Summit of the Future website. The 14-page document outlines objectives, principles, commitments and actions to achieve each of the five objectives, and follow-up and review provisions. Informal consultations on the draft took place from 1-3 July. Permanent Representative of Sweden Anna Karin Eneström and Permanent Representative of Zambia Chola Milambo are leading this intergovernmental process.

The Summit of the Future will gather world leaders “to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future.” According to the UN, the Summit is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity… to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively achieve agreed goals and tackle emerging threats and opportunities.”

To support Member States in their deliberations as they prepare for the Summit of the Future, the Secretary-General issued a series of policy briefs to flesh out certain proposals contained in his ‘Our Common Agenda’ report. These briefs cover: the needs of future generations; an emergency platform; participation by young people in decision-making processes; metrics that go beyond gross domestic product (GDP); maximizing and sharing the benefits of digital technology through a global digital compact; reform of the global financial architecture; peaceful, secure, and sustainable use of outer space; a New Agenda for Peace; information integrity; transforming education; and UN 2.0.