A message from The Elders

Dear friends,

In September, many of my fellow Elders and I gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Week, which was preceded this year by the Summit of the Future.

The Summit aimed to reinvigorate efforts to reform the multilateral system to reflect today’s political and economic realities, by accelerating existing commitments, rebuilding trust and addressing gaps in global governance.

This initiative was especially timely, as divisions among member states have only deepened since last year’s UNGA High-Level Week. The world is facing indecisive responses to the climate emergency, fractured pandemic accord negotiations and a frequently deadlocked Security Council that undermines international peace and security while enabling nuclear escalation.

We need decision-makers who grasp the urgency of the existential threats we face and have the courage to take bold action. Yet, at a time when the global community looks to the UN for leadership, it remains increasingly paralysed.

This sentiment is starkly illustrated by the escalating crisis in the Middle East. My fellow Elder, Helen Clark, powerfully emphasised this in her recent address to the UN Security Council. As member states question the binding status of resolutions or use their veto to protect an ally or to oppose a geo-political rival, their behaviour damages the reputation of the body and hinders effective action. As a result, international law is not upheld, and the cycle of war crimes and impunity continue to grow.

During the Summit, my fellow Elders and I gathered insights from a diverse range of perspectives on the challenges confronting the world and our multilateral system today. In addition to engaging in various private meetings with high-level UN officials, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Simon Stiell, we participated in a series of public panel discussions.

A key highlight was our own Elders event, Are We Ready to Lead Together? A Critical Intergenerational Dialogue on Existential Threats. Together with expert guests and impressive young activists across a range of fields, we discussed the existential threats facing humanity, from the climate crisis to nuclear weapons, pandemics and unregulated AI, and the need for bold and sustainable policy solutions.

The event culminated with the presentation of our Intergenerational Call to Action, which was co-created by Elders and a group of young experts and activists. Informed by specially commissioned global polling, this Call to Action emphasises the urgent need for effective collaboration, proactive leadership, and ethical decision-making in the face of current and future challenges. The Summit of the Future concluded with the adoption of the Pact for the Future, but it is clear that the final text has been significantly diluted after multiple revisions.

This compromise highlights the complexities of multilateral negotiations and reflects the broader challenges facing global governance today. While the Pact provides a necessary foundation, it may fall short in delivering the transformative change needed to effectively tackle the world’s most pressing issues.

I’ll close with the powerful words of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her recent address to the UN Security Council: “How long can we continue with a system that’s clearly failing? How long until it breaks, leading to another catastrophe like the one that created the UN? The time for excuses is over.”

As we look toward the upcoming climate and biodiversity summits COP16 and COP29, it is imperative that world leaders step up and act with solidarity and compassion, prioritising long-term solutions over short-term interests.

With thanks for your ongoing support,