Leaders and diplomats are set to address a meeting Monday on strengthening the U.N. system, a day after agreeing to work together to address a range of global challenges, including climate change, conflicts and poverty.
The session at the U.N. General Assembly comes a day ahead of the start of the marathon of world leaders taking their turn to address the annual gathering at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Monday’s Summit of the Future meeting is scheduled to include speeches from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin.
On Sunday, delegates gave final approval to a “Pact for the Future,” which covers themes such as peace and security, sustainable development, digital cooperation, human rights and gender.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged member states to implement the agreement, by ending wars, reforming the U.N. Security Council, moving away from using fossil fuels, listening to young people and reforming the international financial system.
“We have unlocked the door,” Guterres said Sunday. “Now it is our common responsibility to walk through it. That demands not just agreement, but action.”
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters