In advance of intergovernmental negotiations, the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process on a Declaration on Future Generations have made available a zero draft of the Declaration. It is the co-facilitators’ belief that the text “stands as a well-balanced foundation” for “an ambitious, future-proof, and action-oriented Declaration on Future Generations,” to be annexed to the Pact for the Future.

On 26 March 2024, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Dennis Francis transmitted to Member States a letter from the co-facilitators of the same date. In it, Permanent Representative of Jamaica Brian Christopher Manley Wallace and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands Yoka Brandt note that the zero draft is based on the inputs from Member States received in February 2024.

The five-page document consists of a preamble, guiding principles, and commitments. The zero draft recognizes the opportunity “present generations possess to leave a better future for generations to come.” Among the guiding principles, it highlights:

• Promoting international peace and security and the full respect for the international rule of law in line with the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity;
• Respecting political, civil, economic, social, and cultural human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction or discrimination of any kind;
• Guaranteeing the rights of future generations to thrive in prosperity and achieve sustainable development, including by addressing intergenerational transmission of poverty and hunger, and inequality and injustice;
• Creating and maintaining a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment by addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution; and
• Enhancing cooperation and rebuilding trust among countries and other stakeholders through a strong, efficient, effective, and robust multilateral system for a world that is more equal, more resilient, and more sustainable.

The co-facilitators presented the zero draft to Member States and observers on 8 April. According to the roadmap for the process outlined in the letter, the deadline for written submissions by Member States is 19 April, to be followed by the issuance of the compilation document, along with a first draft of the Declaration.

After the first reading on 14 May, the co-facilitators will issue a second draft of the Declaration on 31 May. Following the second reading on 10 June, the co-facilitators will issue a third draft on 17 June. The third reading will take place on 26 June.

If Member States deem necessary, the co-facilitators “will explore the feasibility of scheduling a potential fourth reading of the Declaration in July 2024.” The purpose of this additional session would be “to ensure clarity and comprehensiveness of the Declaration, aligning it closely with [Member States’] collective vision.”

The idea of a declaration that would take future generations into account dates back to the UN Charter. In his ‘Our Common Agenda,’ the UN Secretary-General invited Member States and other stakeholders to consider specific steps to account for the interests of future generations in national and global decision making and to consolidate these efforts in a Declaration on Future Generations.

In September 2023, the UNGA committed to adopting a Declaration on Future Generations which, if intergovernmentally agreed, would form one of the outcomes of the Summit of the Future in September 2024, along with the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact. [Declaration on Future Generations Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Pact for the Future Zero Draft]