Summit of the Future Unpacking the Pact for the Future and its implications for Africa

This seminar report, co-hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSAA) on 27 September 2024, examines the implications of the UN's Pact for the Future for Africa. The document discusses the alignment of the Pact with Africa's Agenda 2063, the need for reforming international financial institutions, and the shift toward a more political, rather than military-centric, approach to peace and support operations (PSOs) on the continent.

• The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations were adopted in September 2024 to address the limitations of the UN-centred multilateral system and reinvigorate international cooperation on sustainable development, peace, security, and global governance.
• The Pact for the Future aligns with Africa's Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in areas of poverty eradication, climate action, and gender equality, though the Pact includes additional focuses on global governance reforms and digital cooperation not explicitly detailed in Agenda 2063.
• Addressing Africa's fiscal deficits and debt crisis requires an overhaul of international financial institutions and a transition from donor dependency toward sustainable financing, including domestic resource mobilisation and the combatting of illicit financial flows.
• To avoid a 'stabilisation dilemma'—where military stability reduces the incentive for political elites to seek long-term solutions—African Peace and Support Operations (PSOs) must shift from military-centric models to inclusive approaches that integrate political, socio-economic, and security dimensions.
• The African Union (AU) is encouraged to develop a common African position on the strategic objectives for PSO capabilities to guide its relations with the UN and other partners, particularly in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 2719.
• A paradigm shift in peacebuilding is required, emphasizing prevention, national ownership, and a whole-of-society approach. The 2025 UN Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR) is identified as a key opportunity for African stakeholders to influence global peacebuilding architecture.
• The successful implementation of the Pact in Africa depends on the domestication of its principles into national frameworks and the empowerment of women and youth, who are described as the 'engine' and 'powerhouse' of societal development and progress.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2025). Summit of the Future Unpacking the Pact for the Future and its implications for Africa. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1744195991675-iss-soft-seminar-report.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Summit of the Future Unpacking the Pact for the Future and its implications for Africa. 2025. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1744195991675-iss-soft-seminar-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Summit of the Future Unpacking the Pact for the Future and its implications for Africa |date=2025 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1744195991675-iss-soft-seminar-report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2025summit, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Summit of the Future Unpacking the Pact for the Future and its implications for Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2025}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1744195991675-iss-soft-seminar-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }