We, the representatives of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC), united in our commitment to fostering inclusive and sustainable development, present this joint declaration at the UN Summit of the Future on this 20th September 2024. This declaration embodies our shared vision for a just, equitable, and prosperous world, based on a reinvigorated multilateral system that positively impacts people’s lives and emphasizing the crucial role of civil society in addressing global challenges.
Sustainable development and financing for development
The EESC and the AU ECOSOCC:
- Call for an integrated and comprehensive strategy to accelerate progress on SDGs, emphasizing the need for structured involvement of civil society through clear mechanisms for consultation, collaboration and financing their activities and projects;
- Emphasize the need to ensure a fair transition towards climate neutrality, focusing on decent work and eradicating poverty;
- Urge for increased SDG financing and a major reform of the global financial architecture to support sustainable development;
- Advocate for robust, fair and mutually beneficial trade agreements that include SDG-related clauses to avoid negative spill-overs and help countries improve their standards;
- Emphasize the need to involve women's organizations in the implementation of the SDGs and address gender dimensions in just transition policies, considering the harmful impacts of climate change on women and girls;
- Highlight the need to address the weaknesses of the international tax system, ensuring equal footing in decision-making, combating illicit financial flows, enhancing civil society participation, and financing climate action. This should contribute to addressing the systemic financial inequalities that hinder sustainable development;
- Call for coherence to be ensured between the countries' international taxation policies and development policies;
- Advocate for global financing to address climate change, mobilizing adequate and predictable climate finance to support mitigation and adaptation efforts in vulnerable countries. In relation to the debt crises, a holistic approach to debt relief is needed in order to overcome the vicious cycle of indebtedness which leads to lower investment which is then followed by increased vulnerability which will create even more debt.
- Recognise the fundamental importance of food security and the need for agri-food systems to use natural resources in a sustainable way, preserving soil and water resources, combating climate change and biodiversity losses and protecting fauna and animal welfare;
International Peace and Security
- Urge enhancing international cooperation for conflict prevention, mediation, and resolution, with a focus on addressing the root causes of conflicts and recognising the role of civil society and media in peace and security;
- Promote deeper engagement between civil societies, UN country teams, and member states, supporting capacity-building efforts and resource mobilization for peace operations. Encourage structured involvement of civil society at all levels of decision-making in policies and programmes relating to peace-building;
- Emphasize the universality of human rights, upholding human rights and international humanitarian law, ensuring protection for all individuals, particularly in conflict zones;
- Call for greater cohesion and coherence between defence, aid, trade and conflict resolution strategies;
- Call for addressing the impact climate change induced migration on peace and security, ensuring at the same time safety nets and disaster relief services;
- Highlight the need to reform the UN decision-making, including the Security Council (SC), to make it more effective in working for peace;
- Welcome the UN's ambition to put special emphasis on the protection of women, children and vulnerable groups in its conflict prevention and resolution activities. To this end, major groups and other stakeholders (MGoS) should be given stronger voice, support (including financial) and recognition;
Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Cooperation
- Recognize the importance of science, technology, innovation, and digital cooperation;
- Call for increased funding for initiatives promoting these areas and champion climate-resilient science and technology;
- Call for meaningful involvement of civil society in the dialogue and efforts towards a global digital and AI governance;
- Underlines that digital transformation must take place in a sustainable, human-centered and inclusive way to bring the expected economic, social and environmental benefits;
Youth and Future Generations
- Affirm young people as agents of change in sustainable development, human rights, peace, and security;
- Strengthen youth participation at all levels and promote intergenerational interaction;
- Encourage initiatives aiming at greater involvement of youth in policy-making, such as youth delegates in delegations to the UN Climate Change Conference, as well as the initiative of the UN secretary-general's envoy on youth, giving a meaningful voice to the youth;
Transforming Global Governance
- Recognise the imperative of equitable global governance. The UN is currently unable to sufficiently represent non-Security Council Member States. Developing countries in particular from the African continent are underrepresented. Equal representation is necessary to stabilise the consensus on shared values and norms;
- Call for strengthening the UN through fundamental reform. In order to make the UN fit for the rising challenges and to stabilise the consensus on shared values and norms, UN governance has to become more representative, inclusive and effective. To ensure more equal representation, developing countries need a stronger say in the UN, including in the SC;
- Call on the UN to engage in a more inclusive and transparent way with citizens, democratic civil society organisations and movements, institutions representing civil society at national and regional level, local governments, academia, other stakeholders, parliaments, subnational authorities and other official entities and offer them additional opportunities to participate, including the major groups and other stakeholders (MGoS).
