VIENNA, 3 October 2024 – UNIS Vienna Director Martin Nesirky opened the event by highlighting the significance of the Summit of the Future, held in September at UN Headquarters in New York. The summit gathered together global leaders to recommit to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and to agree on concrete solutions to the pressing challenges humanity is facing.
At the summit, Member States adopted a ‘Pact for the Future’ that includes two annexes – the first is the Global Digital Compact which aims to foster an inclusive, open, and secure digital space that respects, protects, and promotes human rights. The second annex – the Declaration on Future Generations – adopts guiding principles, commitments, and actions to promote international stability for those generations not yet born.
Nesirky emphasized the importance of keeping the Pact’s momentum with “Member States and Vienna-based UN organizations having a key role to play”.
Loïc Simonet, researcher at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, moderated the panel discussion and introduced the invited experts and practitioners of the UN system, all of whom hold diverse profiles and backgrounds. The panel consisted of Ambassador Alexander Marschik, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations in New York, Rebecca Jovin, Chief of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in Vienna, Markus Wane, UN Youth Delegate Austria, and Markus Woltran, Programme Officer at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
Ambassador Marschik alluded to one of the most significant impacts of the summit: the signed commitment of 193 Member States: “If there is a commitment among all Member States to come together to use the UN for the future that already is a good sign.” There now is a universal agreement to address key issues, including sustainable development, international peace & security, and transforming global governance.
Rebecca Jovin emphasized the Pact’s landmark moment with disarmament being centrally recognized as a critical security instrument. In the pact, there is a clear recommitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons, marking the first agreed multilateral support for nuclear disarmament in over a decade. As Jovin said: “Negotiations on this topic are often tense, they are never easy, but the aspiration of the broad community is reflected in a nuclear-weapon-free world”.
A surprising aspect of the pact was the strong reference to outer space. Space resources, space traffic management, and stakeholder engagement were some of the key elements which Markus Woltran brought to light during the discussion. He mentioned that a “great result of all these discussions was the cross-collaboration between different expertise”.
Lastly, Youth Delegate Markus Wane, who represents the voice of the younger generation, spoke about the young people’s involvement before, during, and after the summit. A key point was related to their concern about reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. Markus Wane said: “There is so much hope among young people with this pact.” He added that the young generation is now eager to see how governments will deliver on the promised commitments.
After the discussion the audience in person and online had the chance to engage in a Q&A session. The exchange between the panelists and the audience demonstrated the significance of the Pact’s outcomes and brought attention to the important work UN Member States, international organizations, and individuals must now do to save our future.
