Pact for the Future of Humanity

Summary

Local and Regional Governments will continue to push for the transformation of the social contract within the framework of the SDGs and through a strengthened partnership with the international community and civil society. The Pact for the Future builds on the notion that local and regional governments have a critical role as a political actor whose main objective is to safeguard the dreams and aspirations of communities, while balancing the needs of current generations with those of generations to come. It understands equality as the indispensable building block of any sustainable society and will underpin the need for a changed relationship with nature, which necessitates renewed governance with trust as an indispensable mortar between actors. Under three axes (people, planet, and government) the Pact for the Future will redefine access to basic services with the right to the city as a core block, and renewed sets of cultural rights that place people at the centre; it will transcend business-as-usual in the transition towards a zero carbon society with local resilience at the core; and will foster local and global democracy, cooperation among spheres of government, and the development of a renewed multilateral system. The Pact for the Future strives to place our communities at the core of decision-making mechanisms, building resilience and sustainability for a better-shared future. It will address the development of capacities for local and regional governments, the potential of transformative diplomacy and a more robust, structural dialogue with national governments to ensure we can deliver our ambitious targets and objectives laid out in the global agendas, connecting the 2030 Agenda with the UN Summit of the Future, as well as the recommendations of the UNSG’s Common Agenda, and build on concepts such as the global commons and ambitious actions to protect our planet. The Pact for the Future seeks to preserve and foster societies of proximity, empathy and solidarity, empowering individuals through culture and the right to the city. To encourage our territories to have the tools to put an end to the housing crisis, to transform our production and consumption habits, and to build bridges between citizens and institutions based on innovative, sustainable and inclusive service provision. To create, in short, spaces where the ideas that lead the transformations we need can flourish.