Summit of Future Can Strengthen Global Development, Security, Secretary-General Stresses, Urging BRICS Countries to Turn ‘Words into Deeds'

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the sixteenth BRICS [Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa] Summit, in Kazan, today: 

I am grateful to participate in the sixteenth BRICS Summit. Collectively, your countries represent nearly half of the world’s population.  And I salute your valuable commitment and support for international problem-solving as clearly reflected in your theme this year.

But no single group and no single country can act alone or in isolation.  It takes a community of nations, working as one global family, to address global challenges.

Challenges like the rising number of conflicts.  The devastation of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.  Rising inequalities and lingering poverty and hunger.  A debt crisis that threatens to smother plans for the future of many vulnerable countries.  The fact that fewer than one fifth of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track.

A growing digital divide, and a lack of guard-rails for artificial intelligence (AI) and other frontier technologies.  And a lack of representation and voice for developing countries at global decision-making tables.  From the Security Council to the Bretton Woods institutions and beyond.  This must change.

September’s Summit of the Future offered a roadmap for strengthening multilateralism, and advancing peace, sustainable development and human rights.  I see four areas for action.

First — finance.  Today’s international financial system is not offering many vulnerable countries the safety net or level of support they need.  The Pact for the Future calls for accelerating reform of the international financial architecture that is outdated, ineffective and unfair.

And it includes a commitment to move forward with an SDG Stimulus to change the business model to substantially increase the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks to developing countries.

To recycle more special drawing rights.  To restructure loans for countries drowning in debt.  And to mobilize more international and domestic resources, public and private, for vital investments in developing countries.

Next year’s Conference on Financing for Development and the Summit on Social Development are two milestones to carry these efforts forward.  We must also recognize the importance of South-South cooperation.  It doesn’t replace the commitments and obligations of developed countries.  But it is providing a growing contribution to supporting developing countries in overcoming obstacles to reaching the SDGs.

Second — climate.  Every country has committed to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.  That requires dramatic action to reduce emissions now — with the G20 in the lead.  COP29 is just weeks away.  That starts the clock for countries to produce new Nationally Determined Contributions plans with 2035 targets that are aligned with the 1.5-degree goal.

COP29 must deliver an ambitious and credible outcome on the new climate finance goal.  Developed countries must also keep promises to double adaptation finance and ensure meaningful contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund, which was not the case when it was created.

Third — technology.  Every country must be able to access the benefits of technology.  The Global Digital Compact commits to enhanced global cooperation and capacity-building.  It includes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of AI to give every country a seat at the AI table.

It calls for an independent international Scientific Panel on AI and initiating a global dialogue on its governance within the United Nations with the participations of all countries.  And it requests options for innovative financing for AI capacity-building in developing countries.

And fourth — peace.  We must strengthen and update the machinery of peace.  This includes reforms to make the United Nations Security Council reflective of today’s world.

The Pact for the Future includes important steps on disarmament — including the first multilateral agreement on nuclear disarmament in more than a decade — and steps that address the weaponization of outer space and the use of lethal autonomous weapons.

Across the board, we need peace.

We need peace in Gaza with an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid without obstacles and we need to make irreversible progress to end the occupation and establish the two-State solution, as it was recently reaffirmed once again by a UN General Assembly resolution.

We need peace in Lebanon with an immediate cessation of hostilities, moving to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

We need peace in Ukraine.  A just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.

We need peace in Sudan, with all parties silencing their guns and committing to a path towards sustainable peace.

Those were the messages I have delivered to the High-Level segment of the General Assembly in September in New York.  Unfortunately, they remain valid here and now.

Everywhere, we must uphold the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States.

The Summit of the Future charted a course to strengthen multilateralism for global development and security.  Now we must turn words into deeds, and we believe BRICS can play a very important role in this direction.  Thank you.