At Summit of the Future, Türk challenges policy-makers to ensure that present decisions take into account future human rights impact

Distinguished co-chairs Excellencies, colleagues,

Will the world continue to hurtle towards breakdown? 

Or will we choose justice, sustainability and peace?

The decisions taken at this Summit including the Declaration on Future Generations could create a turning point in the history of this century.

And I really want to pay tribute to the ambassadors of Jamaica and the Netherlands for having co-facilitated that important declaration.

Our capacity to harm – and even extinguish – all of humanity has taken on unparalleled dimensions.

But we can use that technological capacity to contribute to the well-being of future generations.

We face a precipice of acute crises created by the triple planetary threat; swiftly morphing digital technologies; and a new wave of shocking conflicts.

But we can pull back from that precipice. 

We can rebuild the spaces for genuine multilateral discussion that have been shrivelled by polarisation.

We can set forth a multilateralism that is effective, cooperative – the guarantor of our long-term, common good. 

We can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, whose very name is a promise to future generations.

We have that capacity.

We have that responsibility. 

What we need is the will.

At the heart of this Summit, and the goals that it is trying to achieve, is a fundamental shift in mindset that encompasses the long-term interests – and rights – of generations to come. 

We need to address planetary threats – clearly, decisively, together. 

We need to put an end to the conflicts that are tearing up lives and hopes. 

We need to responsibly regulate new technologies. 

We need to learn again to respect international law.

We need to invest in justice. In social harmony. In development that delivers a fair share to all.

We need a strategic, future-oriented vision that can deliver on the promises of the Charter and the 2030 Agenda – leveraging science, data, foresight into nimble long-term planning that adapts to threats while standing steady on the main goals.

In short, we need the pragmatic, effective, tested principles of human rights.

Human rights norms draw on the lessons of the past, and bring them into the decisions of today, to protect our present and future. 

To safeguard humanity, we need to foster organizational cultures that are both based on human rights and oriented towards the future. 

And I challenge all policy-makers – from local mayors to Heads of State and national representatives in global fora – to ensure that every decision takes into account its impact on human rights, and our planet, generations down the line. 

That is leadership that we can all look up to. 

And that leadership will make a huge difference.

Thank you