Shaping Tomorrow: The UN’s Quest to Secure a Certain Future

She is away, since yesterday Sunday, for the Future Summit in New York. On the occasion, world leaders adopted the Compact for the Future which seeks to correct some injustices by allowing Africa to play a greater role. This means that Africa could at least have a permanent place in the United Nations. Participants also intend to reaffirm the UN Charter, revive multilateralism, accelerate the implementation of existing commitments, find solutions to new challenges, restore confidence. It goes without saying that all these instruments are trampled underfoot by a number of Member States, precisely by those who are supposed to set an example. Considering the current international context, marked by wars and conflicts of all kinds, natural and climatic disasters, the increase in poverty and the strengthening of socio-economic inequalities, we can, without risk of being mistaken, say that it is welcome to this summit. At least, that’s the feeling we have, a priori. Indeed, competition between States, starting with the great powers that “divided the world among themselves”, the systemic looting of the wealth of poor countries, terrorism in all its forms are, without a doubt, risk factors for the future and the the survival of our world. To this must be added the inability of the United Nations and its Member States so far to provide appropriate responses to the concerns of the day, despite the law, political, economic and even the military they have. He is therefore happy to think that the summit that opened last Sunday, September 22, in “The Big Apple”, can mark the stage of awareness of the risks that the world is running, by continuing with factors which form time bombs for everyone. It must be said again, the United Nations has often lacked courage and will in making and implementing decisions for problems whose solution is within reach. And that’s not all, the selfishness and tendency of States, especially the great powers, to protect their interests only, undermines the efforts of the majority to meet the challenges of security, peace and sustainable development. Having said that, as the challenges are known, it remains the responsibility of the summit participants to find solutions to the equations presented by answering the following basic questions: How to strengthen cooperation to realize aspirations and achieve the stated objectives effectively? How can we meet current needs while preparing for future challenges? Hopefully the right answers will be found. But before or at the same time, it is urgent that the United Nations has the courage to do its own examination of conscience to remove from its operation the defects it has had since its conception in order to finally come truly an instrument of peace, security. and development in the service of all the people of the world. The least we can say is that the summit of the future is a rare opportunity to stave off an uncertain future.

Michel NANA