End of National Sovereignty

United Nations adoption of the “Pact for the Future” marks the end of national sovereignty after Russian amendment was rejected

The UN General Assembly approved a blueprint Sunday to bring the world’s increasingly divided nations together to tackle 21st-century challenges from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Vershinin criticized the negotiations and adopting the pact.

Russia failed in its bid to include an amendment – backed by North Korea, Syria, Nicaragua, Belarus and Iran – that would have spelled out that “the United Nations and its system shall not intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.”

The United Nations building is pictures ahead of a General Assembly in New York City, New York, U.S., February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

Without that amendment the UN essential has jurisdiction over 8 billion people hence the term “world government”. An unelected body of global bureaucrats. UN General Assembly President Philémon Yang put the pact to a vote and banged his gavel, signifying the consensus of all 193 UN member nations that was required for approval.

Russia has made significant inroads in Africa — in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Central African Republic — and the continent’s rejection of its amendments along with Mexico, a major Latin American power, was seen as a blow to Moscow by some diplomats and observers.

Yang announced ahead of speeches by world leaders that they would be muted after five minutes — a rare occurrence at the United Nations, where words are the backbone. Among those who kept talking after their mics were silenced: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah and Irish President Michael Higgins.

The pact which also includes an annex on working toward a responsible and sustainable digital future, was adopted without a vote at the start of a two-day Summit of the Future. The agreement came after some nine months of negotiations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a landmark agreement that is a “step-change towards more effective, inclusive, networked multilateralism.”

Guterres long-pushed for the summit and the pact, which covers themes including peace and security, global governance, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations. It lays out some 56 broad actions that countries pledged to achieve.

“We recognize that the multilateral system and its institutions, with the United Nations and its Charter at the centre, must be strengthened to keep pace with a changing world. They must be fit for the present and the future – effective and capable, prepared for the future, just, democratic, equitable and representative of today’s world, inclusive, interconnected and financially stable.”

Global crises have spotlighted the need for UN reform and overhauling international financial systems. These challenges include ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan; lagging climate change mitigation efforts; widespread national debt issues; and concerns over technology advancing without governance.

“Today, we pledge a new beginning in multilateralism. The actions in this Pact aim to ensure that the United Nations and other key multilateral institutions can deliver a better future for people and planet, enabling us to fulfil our existing commitments while rising to new and emerging challenges and opportunities.”

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani addresses the “Summit of the Future” in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado 

The pact commits world leaders to reform the 15-member Security Council, to make it more reflective of today’s world and “redress the historical injustice against Africa,” which has no permanent seat, and to address the under-representation of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America. t also “represents the first agreed multilateral support for nuclear disarmament in more than a decade,” Guterres said, and it commits “to steps to prevent an arms race in outer space and to govern the use of lethal autonomous weapons.”

The Global Digital Compact “includes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of artificial intelligence,” the U.N. chief said.

The compact commits leaders to establish an Independent International Scientific Panel in the United Nations to promote scientific understanding of AI, and its risks and opportunities. It also commits the U.N. to initiate a global dialogue on AI governance with all key players.

The pact’s actions also include measures “to mount an immediate and coordinated response to complex shocks” including pandemics, Guterres said. And it includes “a groundbreaking commitment by governments to listen to young people and include them in decision-making.”

As for human rights, Guterres said, “In the face of a surge in misogyny and a rollback of women’s reproductive rights, governments have explicitly committed to removing the legal, social and economic barriers that prevent women and girls from fulfilling their potential in every sphere.”

Eighteen months of negotiations on the pact were led by Germany and Namibia. Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba said leaders must leave the summit committed to a path toward peace — not one that leads to “an environmental catastrophe, widening inequality, global conflict and destruction and the rise of dangerous technologies that threaten our security.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that If countries don’t unite and implement the pact’s more than 50 actions, “not only would history judge us … but also young people around the world.”

Source X/Reuters/AP