LocationsA once-in-a-generation opportunity to review, reflect and replan global progress on Sustainable Development Goals.
Summit of the Future: Are You Ready?
September 20, 2024
On September 22, on Day one of the Summit of the Future, billed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the international community to review, reflect, and replan global actions on sustainable development, leaders from across the world adopted a historic “Pact for the Future”, including a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations, underlining their commitment to redrafting a future-ready plan for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Summit’s scope was unique in more ways than one.
For one, through the first-ever Declaration on Future Generations, it committed to offering more meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, especially at the global level.
For one, through the first-ever Declaration on Future Generations, it committed to offering more meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, especially at the global level.
This commitment was highlighted at the outset of the Summit, during the Action Days on September 20 and 21, which brought together voices from all walks of life, including UNDP youth champions Sanjana Sanghi and Prajakta Koli. Sanghi opened the Action Days by delivering the keynote address, where she stressed the importance of giving youth a place at the “at the tables of change.”
“All we ask is to be given genuine opportunities of engagement, whether it is in the private sector, in the government, at the United Nations or in academia. All we ask is for our voices to be heard because we matter and our voice matters.” she said. “All we ask is to be given the opportunity to be the change that we wish to see in this world.”
The young Bollywood actor also attended an event on Digital inclusion on Day 2 of the Action Days. “It was an honour to be there up on stage, focusing specifically on ensuring access for women to digital technologies,” she said after the event. “I feel that digital future is only valuable and relevant if it is equitable, and for that, we have to ensure that access is distributed across gender and across income streams.”
Koli participated in a discussion titled “SDGs at a Turning Point” on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 24. The event focused on the intersection of media influence and sustainable development. Koli highlighted the critical role of media in driving the SDGs, including climate action and gender equality, and expressed her optimism about the younger generation driving meaningful change. “One of the best things I learnt in the past few years is that the younger generation on the internet right now are by far the most aware people, they have access to more information than previous generations and they use it,” she said. “Understanding that was important because then I could lean on hope and optimism.”
More than 7,000 representatives attended the Action Days, which led to strong commitments and pledges of USD 1.05 billion to promote digital inclusion.
“The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations open the door to new opportunities and untapped possibilities,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the opening of the Summit of the Future.
Why a Summit of the Future?
The idea for the Summit came during the pandemic when countries struggled to cooperate. In response, the Secretary-General presented “Our Common Agenda,” a plan for global collaboration. The summit will end with the launch of a “Pact for the Future,” an international agreement to address climate change, future pandemics, inequalities, and economic instability.
The Summit comes at a crucial time.
As of 2024, almost half of the SDGs are making little progress, and more than a third are falling behind. The summit aims to unite countries in tackling issues like climate change, which affects 3.6 billion people, and rising inequalities, with 700 million people still living in extreme poverty.
It also aims to close the digital divide, as 2.7 billion people still lack internet access, limiting their participation in the global economy.
Conflicts and instability now affect over 100 million people worldwide. The Summit will push for global cooperation to meet these challenges and create a better future for 8 billion people.
“Last year, on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, Member States agreed that our challenges are interconnected, across borders and all other divides. These challenges can only be addressed by an equally interconnected response, through reinvigorated multilateralism and the United Nations at the centre of our efforts,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres had said in the Common Agenda Report, explaining the idea behind the Summit of the Future.
“Humanity has shown time and time again that it is capable of great achievements when we work together. This common agenda is our road map to recapture this positive spirit and begin rebuilding our world and mending the trust in one another we need so desperately at this moment in history,” he had added.
As the summit aims to address global challenges, UNDP India has been supporting the country achieve its own development goals and plan a sustainable, equitable and inclusive future.
Building Strong Institutions for Progress
UNDP is partnering with NITI Aayog, India’s policy think tank, to build strong institutions to track and push the country toward meeting the SDGs. Together, they launched the 4th SDG India Index, a tool that tracks the performance of Indian states in achieving the SDGs. This index serves as a progress scorecard, pushing states to create better policies and ensure no one is left behind.
Empowering Women and Reducing Inequality
UNDP is also focusing on creating better economic opportunities, especially for women and marginalized communities. In Maharashtra, women are learning to farm mud crabs and restore mangroves. These activities help the environment while giving them a new income stream. Similarly, in Bihar, women farmers have been trained to use solar-powered cold storage units to store their crops longer and sell them at higher prices, increasing their income and reducing food waste. These initiatives directly contribute to SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Promoting Climate-Smart Solutions
In Telangana, UNDP is helping farmers adapt to climate change through a platform called DiCRA. This Artificial Intelligence-powered tool analyzes climate risks and helps farmers make better decisions to protect their crops. It’s part of UNDP’s commitment to promoting innovation and building resilient food systems.
Focusing on Inclusive Growth
Another priority for the UNDP is ensuring that economic growth benefits everyone, especially women. In Uttar Pradesh, for example, they’re helping women farmers break into the agricultural supply chain, traditionally dominated by men. By training women to manage farm-to-market operations, UNDP helps them get better prices for their produce and reduces the role of intermediaries.
A Path to a Sustainable Future
UNDP’s work in India aligns closely with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision for a sustainable future, as highlighted in his address at the Summit. Both emphasize a human-centric approach to development, empowering marginalized communities and fostering inclusive growth. UNDP’s efforts to build accountable institutions, promote economic opportunities, and advance climate-smart solutions resonate with India’s success in lifting millions out of poverty, which the Prime Minister highlighted as a key achievement during his address. His call for global cooperation and reforms in global governance, reaffirming India's commitment to the principle of "One Earth, One Family, One Future," is a vision that mirrors UNDP’s focus on community-driven, sustainable solutions for global challenges.
As the summit draws near, it’s clear that our global challenges are interconnected, and the solutions must be, too. UNDP’s work in India shows that real progress begins at the community level, among the people, and with the right support, a sustainable future is within reach.
Related
content
content
