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Room for Optimism: A Precondition for Success in Challenging Times

Contributed by Baha’i International Community

Posted 23 August 2024

   

Room for Optimism: A Precondition for Success in Challenging Times

A Summit of the Future Action Day Side Event | Sept 21 13:00 – 14:15 | CR6 UNHQ, New York

At moments of profound crisis, optimism is a precondition for success. This rapid-fire roundtable is a platform to energize participants to take the first next steps towards better global governance.

The much anticipated Summit of the Future is on our doorstep. Representatives from Member States, the United Nations System, and Civil Society concurrently express hope and concern, encouragement and hesitation, optimism and doubt regarding the Summit and its outcome documents, including the Pact for the Future. Hundreds of recommendations have been directed toward the Pact and its related processes, representing significant consensus around the need for change. Yet, success will be measured by how this Summit is able to prevent and respond to complex and growing risks. The challenges are well-known, yet it is hope and a commitment to the wellbeing of humanity, ultimately, that will sustain our efforts. We need a shared, optimistic narrative, alongside a sophisticated understanding of the challenges we face, in order to overcome inaction. As was learned at the UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, this is a prerequisite on the path toward a future of peace and prosperity.

Far from an exercise in idealism, the aim of this event will be to highlight and connect common aspirations and concrete suggestions in order to catalyze future action beyond the Summit itself. This event, to be hosted during the Action Days of the Summit of the Future, will provide an opportunity for Member State representatives, UN officials, and Civil Society actors to contribute to a narrative built on evidentiary optimism. Representatives from various areas of the international system will share what it is from the Pact for the Future that brings them hope in the face of the very real challenges before us. They will offer their reflections and reasons for optimism, highlighting one or two actions that they think have particularly strong potential and proposing next steps to take that action forward.

Guiding Questions:

  • What is it about the Summit of the Future that inspires hope in you – with a specific eye towards the negotiated outcomes?
  • Why do you do this work – especially given the challenges we are seeing in the world today?
  • In early October, after High-Level Week when the dust has settled a bit, what is the next step in ensuring that the Summit was a success?
Should you be in New York for UNGA79 and wish to be interviewed for the pre-event video, kindly express your interest through this form: https://forms.gle/F6hck4vmFUHPsZJ88

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