UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today called to display “a spirit of commitment” ahead of the upcoming Summit of the Future, an event he described as a move in the right direction.

United Nations.- The great event was born out of a cold, hard reality: international challenges are advancing faster than our ability to solve them, Guterres told reporters at his regular press conference, as he expounded on the international event starting September 22.

The high representative urged action to face geopolitical divisions and uncontrolled conflicts, climate change, inequalities, and debt.

At the same time, he considered something to worry about the development of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and the polarization and lack of action by key institutions, namely the Security Council.

"We do not need a crystal ball to see that the challenges of the 21st century require global problem-solving mechanisms that are more effective, interconnected, and inclusive and that the serious imbalances of power in global institutions must be adjusted and updated," he acknowledged.

Guterres considered it essential to make progress in the negotiations still underway for the Pact of the Future, the final declaration of the Summit.

The document, he said, has the strongest language on Security Council reform in a generation, and the most concrete step toward Council enlargement since 1963.

It also includes the first set of governance measures for new technologies, including artificial intelligence, in all its applications, with the UN at its core.

Another major breakthrough is the reform of the international financial architecture, a radical change in financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, and a commitment to grant resources available to developing countries.

‘The Summit of the Future is an essential first step in making global institutions more legitimate, effective, and fit for the world of today and tomorrow,’ he stressed. (PL)