September is Spring –   a time for renewable and growth.

Yet Humanity is at a precipice, climate emergencies such as the Bangladesh floods, to terrible current conflicts – the Gaza genocide, Ukraine – Russia conflict, Sudan, DRC on the African continent, and Myanmar  are a stark reminder that ‘sustainable peace’ remains elusive. Atop of these are the geopolitical and economic fractures that have seen the erosion of traditional multilateralism, while Sub-Saharan Africa faces its worst debt crisis in decades. The digital society, which was once seen as a great information leveller has become an echo chamber of hate on social media, where misinformation and extremism fuel distrust in national and local levels such as the recent UK riots. The global system is in ICU.

We are more than halfway through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) timelines towards 2030, and most of humanity will not achieve these. It was in this context that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced the Summit for the Future, cognisant that the core ideals of the UN are being fractured in all domains.

Key Agenda of the UN Summit of the Future 2024

The Summit of the Future marks the beginning of a journey. It will serve as a springboard to a more sustainable, peaceful and just future for all. It will do so by focusing attention and action on creating a multilateral system that better reflects the geopolitical realities of the 21st century, one that is more just and one that is capable of responding to the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow. First, by putting in place new international norms and mechanisms to both manage and harness the potential of emerging areas of innovation.

Secondly, doubling-down on our efforts to achieve the world envisaged by the UN Charter, the SDGs and our commitments to address climate change, with a particular focus on making sure we have the necessary resources and fit-for-purpose institutions to deliver. Finally, it will challenge us to take a fresh look at the United Nations, its institutions, and ways of working to be more networked, inclusive and effective by meaningfully engaging all stakeholders. The Summit offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for change. It will pave a way to a better tomorrow that we can only shape together.

The UN Summit for the Future 2024 presents the Global South with an Intergenerational opportunity. Let’s unpack

BRICS Plus Bloc: The BRICS Plus bloc is the anchor for the Global South.  As BRICS nations meet in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, the key agenda will be the reform of multilateralism.  The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has just concluded its annual meeting in Cape Town where $ 4 billion was announced for South Africa’s economic infrastructure and green energy programs, and also just admitted Algeria as a new member.  BRICS nations are the core anchor that is actually aligning with the UN system and offers considerable power and leverage in the global system.

Under Russia’s chairship, with clear proposals in addressing solutions to meet the UN SDGs, BRICS trade ministers’ statement in July stated

“We thus endorse BRICS Declaration on the WTO, stressing the BRICS Members’ support for the open, fair, transparent, predictable, equitable, non-discriminatory, inclusive, consensus- and rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and highlighting its importance for just global development. We welcome the outcomes of the 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and reiterate our commitment to work towards the implementation of the decisions and declarations of WTO Ministerial. We note, however, there is still a need for further efforts in many outstanding issues.

BRICS Members stress the importance of transparent, accessible and inclusive discussions within the WTO and the importance of consensus decision making.

We reaffirm that no WTO Member should be deprived of the opportunity to participate in such discussions and pursue positive efforts towards improving the framework of the multilateral trading system.  We underscore that an accessible, effective, two-tier fully-functioning WTO dispute settlement system is of paramount importance in providing security and predictability of the multilateral trading system, and we agree to engage constructively within the WTO to attain the goal to deliver a ‘fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system’ by 2024 to fulfill the MC-12 mandate confirmed by the WTO Members at MC-13. We agree to substantially enhance our dialogue on multilateral trading system and WTO-related issues to make our voice heard at the trade-related multilateral level, including at the WTO, through BRICS Informal Consultative Framework on WTO issues. (BRICS Ministers June 2024)

G77 Plus China has since the 1990s been a coherent bloc representing interests of developing nations especially during the stalled WTO trade talks and continues to play a key role. In its 2024 Communique, the convenor of the G77 Plus China, S. Celia  Kafureka Nabate, Minister Counsellor Permanent Mission of Uganda to the UN observes:

“The G77 and China agree with the Secretary General that there is need for a global financial system that delivers for all. The international structures of finance, production, and trade, including agricultural trade, must be made fairer and equitable. There is an imperative need for debt restructuring and review of austerity programmes for debt repayment plans to support global efforts towards sustainable development, and debt long-term sustainability. The Group supports shifting away from relying on GDP alone as a criterion to determine access to concessional finance and looks forward to discussions on reform of the International Financial Architecture.” G77 Communique, February 2024 )

The group of 77 and China acknowledges that our planet is in a state of peril facing dangers caused by wars and conflicts, climate change, poverty and hunger, a global digital divide as well as pandemics. The Group of 77 and China, agrees with the Secretary General’s call for the rebuilding of trust and the restoring of hope. Multilateralism and international cooperation play an important role in this regard. Wars and conflicts are exacerbating humanitarian needs at a time of declining resources to respond to those needs. It is therefore urgent that the international community comes together to address the root causes of these conflicts and find lasting solutions for peace.

The Group is committed to engaging constructively and actively in all the upcoming processes such us the 4th SIDS Conference, the LLDCs and the summit of the future. In addition, the G77 and China is participating in the Forum on Financing for Development follow-up and the High-Level Political Forum. These events are critical in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 G20 at Crossroads:  Urgent need to tackle African Debt Crisis and reform the financial system

The G20 was founded in 2009 amidst the Great Financial crisis of 2008-09 and faces a moment of truth. While expanding and encroaching into UN processes, its core mandate is financial crisis. Yet over a decade it has not manged to address the underlying symptoms of the financial system. The USA’s   $34 trillion debt poses a huge risk to the global financial system, the rise of Crypto has caused havoc in nations such as Nigeria where the Naira has devalued significantly  causing chaos and raising the cost living crisis. Kenya’s recent financial riots is another example, and interest on debt is the largest budget items in South Africa’s fiscus 2023-24.  The UN Stimulus report 2023 has articulated these core challenges.

The G20 needs to go ‘Back to Basics’ where urgent intervention is needed as the IMF and powerful banks and creditors extract value and interest from the poorest nations while imposing austerity. #KenyaFinancial riots will mutate in the Global South if the G20 does not prioritise financial reform for development and adhere to the UN Stimulus report 2023 priorities. South Africa is thus in an opportune position to shape the agenda as it hosts the G20 in 2025. Will it advance the African Agenda in 2025?

These opportunities and challenges transcend national borders and as regions and locales grapple with multidimensional challenges, our deeply interconnected and increasingly multipolar world, international cooperation holds the key to effectively managing our collective success, and even to our survival.

In framing the Summit of the Future, the UN has articulated its importance:

This is an unique Once in a Generation moment in history where we face a pivotal choice as a global community – breakthrough or breakdown. Inaction almost guarantees a future of persistent crises and breakdown, whilst a breakthrough will not happen by itself.

All Hands on Deck is needed.

Mr. Ashraf Patel is a senior research associate at the Institute for Global Dialogue associated with UNISA 

The views expressed in this article are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of IGD