Modi in US: Sharing lessons, shaping future the India way
Narendra Modi will once again be on the big stage on Monday when he attends the United Nations Summit of the Future in New York.
The idea of the summit emerged in 2021 in recognition of the fact, in the words of the UN Secretary General, that «we cannot continue to tackle 21st century challenges and opportunities with the 20th century foundational ideas and processes of the UN». The summit is an opportunity for international leaders to decide how to deliver a better today and safeguard the opportunities of tomorrow. The UN Secretary General has called it a «trust building exercise».
The chief outcome document of the summit will be a Pact for the Future that is supposed to guide humanity as it moves towards the endpoint of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and beyond. The five chosen pillars of focus are sustainable development and financing for development, international peace and security, science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation, youth and future generations, and transforming global governance. The pact will be annexed with a Declaration on Future Generations and a Global Digital Compact.
India has high stakes in the summit and its outcomes, but even more in the future of the world. The world has an equally high stake in how India transforms. In its statement at the preparatory meeting for the summit in 2023, India did not mince words when it said that «the United Nations story is mixed». «The future must not repeat the failures of the past. Let us envisage a tomorrow that is inclusive
