Upcoming Summit of the Future pivotal opportunity to re-boot global cooperation to address urgent new threats and opportunities

World leaders will convene at the Summit of the Future on 22 to 23 September at the UN Headquarters in New York to forge a new international consensus and ensure that the multilateral system is equipped to lead a more powerful response to today’s challenges and opportunities.

With many of the global institutions and tools established in the 1940s, the Summit of the Future will be an opportunity to build more effective and inclusive systems to tackle today’s emerging security crises, turbocharge the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), bridge the financing gap and address the threats and opportunities of digital technologies.

The Summit will result in a negotiated Pact for the Future, an action-oriented document aimed to bolster global cooperation for today and tomorrow. The Summit will also produce a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. The documents will be adopted in the opening segment of the Summit on 22 September.

Curtain-raiser Press briefing

Who:    Guy Ryder, UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy and UN Lead for Summit of the Future

What:   Preview of the Summit of the Future

When:  11 September 2024, 10:30 am EDT

Where: S-237 or follow live on UN WebTV

Opening of the Summit

The Summit of the Future will open with a recital by American Opera Singer Renée Fleming. This will be followed by statements by the President of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and youth representatives. In addition to plenary sessions, there will be four interactive Dialogues that will focus on issues ranging from transforming global governance and accelerating the SDGs to enhancing multilateralism for international peace and security.

Summit Action Days, 20-21 September

Bringing together Heads of State, Ministers, senior UN officials and representatives from the private sector, youth, civil society and other actors, the Action Days on 20 to 21 September will provide an opportunity for broad engagement and inclusion ahead of the Summit of the Future.

The Action Days will kick off with a dedicated, youth-led afternoon followed by a Saturday programme which will focus on three priority themes – digital and technology, peace and security, and sustainable development and financing. In addition, there will also be a focus throughout the day on future generations. The full two-day programme, including many side events, may be found here.

ADDITIONAL MEDIA MOMENTS

Summit of the Future Global Call, 12 September

A Summit of the Future Global Call live event will take place on 12 September 2024 at 10:15 am EDT to highlight world leaders’ key expectations regarding the Pact for the Future and the future of global cooperation.

The Global Call will feature opening remarks by H.E. António Guterres, UN Secretary-General and hosts of the live event H.E. Nangolo Mbumba, President of the Republic of Namibia, and H.E. Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Pre-recorded video statements from Heads of State or Government will broadcast starting at 11:00 a.m. The event will be moderated by UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming and may be followed live on UN WebTV.

SDG Media Zone, 23-27 September, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm (EDT)

The UN SDG Media Zone is a key feature of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week, bringing together world leaders, influencers, activists, experts, content creators and media partners to highlight actions and solutions in support of the SDGs. Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation, this year’s sessions will highlight the themes debated at the Summit of the Future, along with additional SDG-related issues. All sessions will livestream on UN WebTV.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY HIGH-LEVEL WEEK

In addition to the Summit of the Future, there will be a number of high-level events during the High-Level Week on 22 to 26 September.

General Debate, 24-28 September and 30 September

World leaders will gather at UN Headquarters in New York to engage in the annual high-level General Debate under the theme, “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”. Heads of State and Government and ministers will explore solutions to intertwined global challenges to advance peace, security and sustainable development.

SDG Moment 2024, 24 September, 1:30 pm – 3:15 pm (EDT)

With overall progress on the SDGs lagging, the SDG Moment, convened by the Secretary-General, will provide world leaders with a platform to showcase the bold actions and solutions that are needed to set the world on course. The moment will build directly on the outcomes of the Summit of the Future and pinpoint the specific areas where greater international cooperation is needed ahead of COP29, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development and the Second World Summit for Social Development.

High-Level Meeting on Sea-Level Rise, 25 September

The High-Level Meeting on Sea-Level Rise will convene global leaders, experts and stakeholders to address the urgent and escalating threat of rising sea levels. This meeting will work towards developing comprehensive solutions and actionable commitments to combat sea-level rise, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future including for small island developing states and low-lying coastal areas.

High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), 26 September

The High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) presents an opportunity for countries and stakeholders to renew efforts and accelerate progress in combating the growing threat of AMR. Building on the momentum of previous declarations and commitments, the meeting will focus on enhancing international cooperation, promoting the responsible use of antimicrobials, and advancing the development of new treatments to safeguard global health.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Please follow us on the Summit of the Future, using the main hashtags: #OurCommonFuture, #GlobalGoals and #SDGs. 

On Facebook: United Nations and Global GoalsUN  

On Twitter: @UN and @GlobalGoalsUN

Key Links on the Summit

The Summit of the Future website and Programme

The Summit of the Future Media Corner

Summit of the Future Action Days

The Sustainable Development Goals

General Assembly High-level Week 2024 | United Nations

Media resources

Live streaming: https://webtv.un.org/en

Photo coverage: https://media.un.org/photo/en
Broadcast video clips: https://media.un.org/unifeed/en | unifeed@un.org
Live broadcast quality feed: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/untv.shtml  untv@un.org

Video footage: https://media.un.org/avlibrary/en | AVlibrary@un.org
Daily news coverage: https://news.un.org/en/
Press releases and meetings summaries: https://press.un.org/en

Documents + reports for the press: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/mdc.shtml Audio hub: https://news.un.org/en/audio-hub

Daily media alert: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/alert.shtml

List of experts is available here.