Thu Sep 19 08:53:51 UTC 2024: ## P5 Leaders Skip UN Summit of the Future, Raising Concerns About Commitment to Reform

**UNITED NATIONS, Sep 19 2024 (IPS)** – Despite the UN promoting the upcoming Summit of the Future (September 22-23) as a landmark event for a “better future for humanity,” the provisional speaker list reveals a significant absence of high-level representatives from the five permanent members of the Security Council (P5).

While the US, UK, France and Russia will be represented by “ministers,” and China by a deputy prime minister, **no head of state or government from the P5 will be present.** This lack of high-level representation has sparked concern about the P5’s commitment to the summit’s ambitious agenda.

The Summit aims to address crucial issues like:

* **Reform of the Security Council:** Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the need to address the power imbalance within the council, advocating for “a certain redistribution of power to make things more fair and more effective.”
* **Effective governance of artificial intelligence.**
* **Accelerating climate action.**
* **International financial architecture reform.**
* **Debt relief and resource allocation for developing countries.**
* **Disarmament and the threat of weaponized new technologies.**

However, critics argue that the P5’s absence is symbolic of their limited commitment to global cooperation. Mandeep Tiwana of CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, told IPS: “Their bickering and unwillingness to act to stop atrocities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan and Ukraine show they are not credible actors in securing a better future for humanity.”

Brenda Mofya, Oxfam International’s UN Representative, echoed these concerns, stating: “The P5 hold outsize power… their level of representation… does send a message.”

While some see the summit as a missed opportunity for substantial reform, others believe it presents an opening for other nations to take a leadership role. Purnima Mane, former President and CEO of Pathfinder International, noted that the absence of P5 leaders could be a “key opportunity for other countries to share their vision and express their willingness and capacity to engage.”

The Summit of the Future remains a crucial event in the face of complex global challenges. The absence of P5 leaders, however, casts a shadow over its potential for meaningful progress. The world will be watching closely to see if this summit truly delivers on its promise of a better future.

Read More