ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday joined around 48 world leaders virtually, to outline their expectations for this month’s Summit of the Future in New York, underlining “effective” global cooperation to address international challenges, including the developing nation’s rising debt burdens.
“The Summit of the Future represents a great opportunity. We must not lose it!,” PM Shehbaz Sharif told the event as part of a global call to action to support the once-in-a-generation UN summit , which starts on 22 September at UN Headquarters.
More than 130 Heads of State and Government are likely to take part in the landmark event, which will be held just ahead of the annual high-level debate in the UNGA, which opens on Sept 24.
The Summit brings together nations from across the world, marking a key opportunity for far-reaching agreements and accords on global collaboration for a safer, more sustainable and more equitable world.
At Thursday’s event, UN chief Antonio Guterres was joined by the President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, as well as the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, as co-facilitators of the preparatory process.
During the two-day Summit, member nations are likely to conclude talks ahead of adopting the Pact for the Future, which aims to chart a path toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and respond to the current challenges and opportunities. It will also include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
In a video call from Islamabad, Shehbaz Sharif, called for collective efforts to deal with acute world issues, adding, “Today, in times of extraordinary international challenges and escalating conflicts, we are at risk of enduringly damaging the notion of ‘we’.
The PM said, “A collective ‘we’ needs a degree of justice and equality. The situation of the people of Gaza is a mockery of this ‘we.’ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also emphasized that technological advancements should be accessible to all, especially the citizens in the Global South, saying that “Open access to innovations can empower our people.
