UNITED NATIONS— United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries worldwide to find common ground and approve a plan to tackle global issues such as conflicts, climate change, artificial intelligence, and the reform of U.N. and global financial structures. The discussions around the “Pact of the Future” are nearing completion, and Guterres emphasized the importance of reaching a consensus among all 193 U.N. member nations.

Guterres called for action during the Summit of the Future, which precedes the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level meeting, warning about the urgent need to address new global threats. The ongoing negotiations on the 30-page pact have been ongoing for several months, focusing on implementing necessary reforms to address current challenges effectively.

Emphasizing the necessity of governance improvements in various areas like climate change and artificial intelligence, Guterres highlighted the significance of the Summit of the Future in this regard. The draft Pact of the Future underscores the critical global transformation underway and the need to tackle existential risks that could lead to continuous crisis and breakdown.

The proposed pact outlines 51 actions to combat poverty, promote gender equality, address climate change, foster peace, and strengthen the multilateral system. Guterres highlighted potential breakthroughs in the pact, including reforms to the Security Council and the governance of new technologies like AI, while also addressing resource allocation for developing countries to meet U.N. development goals by 2030.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed the Biden administration’s commitment to creating a more inclusive and effective international system at the Summit of the Future. While some differences remain among nations regarding certain issues in the pact, there is optimism about the potential impact of the summit in bridging these gaps and advancing global cooperation.