UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Dennis Francis has circulated a letter from the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental preparatory process for the Summit of the Future regarding the schedule of informal consultations. The co-facilitators aim to have a zero draft of the Pact for the Future in early 2024.
The UNGA President appointed Permanent Representative of Germany Antje Leendertse and Permanent Representative of Namibia Neville Melvin Gertze to lead the intergovernmental preparatory process of the Summit of the Future during the 78th session of the UNGA. Leendertse and Gertze also co-facilitated consultations on the Summit during the UNGA’s 77th session.
According to a letter dated 19 October 2023, the co-facilitators will hold informal consultations on the preparations of the Pact for the Future on 9 November, where they will outline their approach, timeline, and plans for consultations in the coming months.
Following this initial meeting, the co-facilitators will convene a series of closed informal consultations in December “to hear directly from Member States on the substantive issues that they would like to see reflected in the zero draft of the Pact for the Future on a chapter-by-chapter basis.” The consultations are scheduled as follows:
- Chapeau and Chapter 1: Sustainable Development and Financing for Development (FfD), on1 December;
- Chapter 2: International Peace and Security, on 5 December;
- Chapter 5: Transforming Global Governance, on 6 December;
- Chapter 3: Science, Technology, and Innovation; Digital Cooperation, on 11 December; and
- Chapter 4: Youth and Future Generations, on 11 December.
The co-facilitators of the Global Digital Compact and of the Declaration on for Future Generations will join the 9 November meeting, as well as the subsequent consultations when their topics are under consideration.
Leendertse and Gertze further indicate they will invite Member States and observers to submit written inputs to the Pact for the Future by 31 December 2023.
Originally proposed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his ‘Our Common Agenda’ report, the Summit of the Future will serve as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate global action, recommit to fundamental principles, and further develop the frameworks of multilateralism so they are fit for the future.” The Summit will adopt ‘A Pact for the Future’ – a concise, action-oriented outcome document, to be agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations. [UNGA President’s Letter Dated 19 October 2023] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on UNGA’s Decision on Elements of the Pact for the Future] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Member States’ Priorities for the Summit of the Future] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on UN Secretary-General’s Briefing on Progress on Our Common Agenda]