By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan
Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana; Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche International Institute, New York.
A New Guyana is in the making. I have been submitting in these pages that it would be helpful for all parties to identify and abide by policy consensuses on international principles of sustainability, human rights, and peaceful coexistence. The UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Sustainable Development Goals represent such policy frameworks on which all political parties could base their policies for Guyana.
To these, we may now add the UN Declaration on Future Generations, which Guyana subscribed to as part of the Pact for the Future adopted at the Summit of the Future held at UN Headquarters on 22 and 23 September, 2024. The Declaration on Future Generations could be a lode-star for the government and people of Guyana, especially the young.
The Declaration refers to future generations as “all those generations that do not yet exist, and who will inherit this planet”. It recognized that the decisions, actions and inactions of present generations have an intergenerational multiplier effect, and therefore resolved to ensure that present generations act with responsibility towards safeguarding the needs and interests of future generations.
It affirms that we must learn from past achievements and failures, and their consequences, in order to ensure a more sustainable, just and equitable world for present and future generations, “understanding the interconnectedness of past, present and future”.
In order to seize the opportunity that present generations possess to leave a better future for generations to come and to fulfil our commitment to meet the demands of the present in a way that safeguards the needs and interests of future generations, while leaving no one behind, the assembled leaders, including those of Guyana, committed to observing a set of guiding principles, including the following:
The opportunity for future generations to thrive in prosperity and achieve sustainable development must be ensured, including by eliminating the intergenerational transmission of poverty and hunger, inequality and injustice.
The promotion of intergenerational solidarity, as well as intergenerational dialogue, and social cohesion is an indispensable part of the foundation for the prosperity of future generations.
A clean, healthy and sustainable environment, where humanity lives in harmony with nature, must be created and maintained by urgently addressing the causes and adverse impacts of climate change and scaling up collective action to promote environmental protection.
The promotion of the responsible and ethical use of science, technology and innovation, guided by the principles of equity and solidarity, is necessary to foster an open, fair and inclusive environment for scientific and technological development and digital cooperation while bridging the scientific, technological and innovation divides, including digital divides, within and between countries.
The achievement of gender equality, the empowerment of all women and girls and the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms without discrimination of any kind are necessary requirements for a sustainable future.
The full and equal participation of persons with disabilities of present and future generations in society, including the opportunity for them to be actively involved in decision-making processes, is critical to ensuring that no one is left behind.
The elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, as well as the achievement of racial equality and the empowerment of all people, are required for a prosperous and sustainable future.
Guided by these and other principles, global leaders, including those of Guyana, pledged to:
Eliminate all forms of persistent historical and structural inequalities, including by acknowledging, addressing and taking effective measures to remedy past tragedies and their consequences, and eradicate all forms of discrimination.
Honour, promote and preserve cultural diversity and cultural heritage, as well as languages, knowledge systems and traditions, and foster intercultural and interreligous dialogue, including through encouraging strengthened international cooperation on the return or restitution of cultural properties of spiritual, ancestral, historical and cultural value to countries of origin.
Recognize, respect, promote and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, their territories, lands and ecosystems, while safeguarding their traditions, spiritual beliefs and ancestral knowledge, strengthening their distinct political, legal, economic social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State; and ensuring their right to participation in decision-making in matters which would affect their rights, as determined by law and in accordance with international human rights obligations.
Prioritize urgent action to address critical environmental challenges and implement measures to reduce disaster risk and build resilience, reverse the degradation of ecosystems and ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; and reaffirm the importance of accelerating action to address climate change and its adverse impacts, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances, noting the importance for some of the concept of “climate justice”.
Harness the benefits of existing, new and emerging technologies and mitigate the associated risks through effective, inclusive and equitable governance at all levels, scaling up collaboration to bridge the digital divides within and between developed and developing countries, increasing capacity-building efforts in the field of science, technology and innovation, and promoting the transfer of technology on mutually agreed terms.
Strengthen cooperation among States to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration between countries of origin, transit and destination, including through enhancing and diversifying the availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration, while recognizing the positive contributions of migrants to inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Invest in accessible, safe, inclusive and equitable quality education for all, including physical education and sport, and promote opportunities for lifelong learning, technical and vocational training, and digital literacy, allowing for the intergenerational acquisition and transfer of knowledge and skills to advance the prospects of future generations.
Protect the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, through universal health coverage and strengthened and resilient health systems, as well as equitable access to safe, affordable, effective and quality medicines, vaccines, therapeutics and other health products, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for present and future generations.
Acknowledging the responsibility of governments for safeguarding the needs and interests of future generations, global leaders, including those of Guyana, pledged to implement, institutionalize and monitor the above commitments in national, regional and global policymaking by:
Leveraging science, data, statistics and strategic foresight to ensure long-term thinking and planning, and to develop and implement sustainable practices and the institutional reforms necessary to ensure evidence-based decision-making, while making governance more anticipatory, adaptive and responsive to future opportunities, risks and challenges.
Ensuring inclusive and equitable access to knowledge, science and information, while promoting innovation, critical thinking and life skills to create generations of citizens that are agents of positive change and transformation.
Strengthening systems of national and global accounting, including by promoting the use of forward-looking, evidence-based impact assessments, developing stronger anticipatory risk analyses and encouraging the use of measures of progress on sustainable development that complement and go beyond gross domestic product.
Investing in capacity to better prepare for and respond to future global shocks, crises and challenges, and using evidence-based planning and foresight to avoid and mitigate risks, while ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable do not bear disproportionate costs and burdens of mitigation, adaptation, restoration and resilience-building.
Undertaking a whole-of-government approach to coordination, including at the national and local levels, on the assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of policies that safeguard the needs and interests of future generations.
Enhancing cooperation with stakeholders, including civil society, academia, the scientific and technological community and the private sector, and encouraging intergenerational partnerships, by promoting a whole-of-society approach, to share best practices and develop innovative, long-term and forward-thinking ideas in order to safeguard the needs and interests of future generations.
Fostering an organizational culture that is future-oriented and mainstreamed across the United Nations system in order to facilitate science- and evidence-based decision-making by developing diverse capabilities, including anticipatory planning, foresight and futures literacy, and systematically promoting long-term and intergenerational thinking at all levels.
Global leaders, including those of Guyana, took note of the Secretary-General’s idea of appointing a Special Envoy for Future Generations and decided to convene an inclusive high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on future generations that will review the implementation of this Declaration during the eighty-third session of the General Assembly and provide updates on the actions taken to safeguard the needs and interests of future generations
Guyana would do well to note the following emphases in the Declaration on Future Generations:
Including anticipatory planning, foresight and futures literacy, and systematically promoting long-term and intergenerational thinking at all levels.
Prioritizing urgent action to address critical environmental challenges and implementing measures to reduce disaster risk and build resilience, reverse the degradation of ecosystems and ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Scaling up collective action to promote environmental protection.
Promoting the use of forward-looking, evidence-based impact assessments, developing stronger anticipatory risk analyses and encouraging the use of measures of progress on sustainable development.
Promoting the responsible and ethical use of science, technology and innovation.
Enhancing cooperation with stakeholders, including civil society, academia, the scientific and technological community and the private sector.
Eliminating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Eliminating all forms of persistent historical and structural inequalities
Honouring, promoting and preserving cultural diversity and cultural heritage, as well as languages, knowledge systems and traditions, and foster intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
Recognizing, respecting, promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, their territories, lands and ecosystems.
Strengthening cooperation among States to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration.
