Leaders pledged to bolster the multilateral system to “keep pace with a changing world” and to “protect the needs and interests of current and future generations” facing “persistent crisis”.
“We believe there is a path to a brighter future for all of humanity,” the document says.
The pact outlines 56 “actions”, including commitments to multilateralism, upholding the UN Charter and peacekeeping.
It also calls for reforms to international financial institutions and the UN Security Council, along with renewed efforts to combat climate change, promote disarmament, and guide the development of artificial intelligence.
The adoption of the text faced a brief delay when Russia’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Sergey Vershinin, introduced an amendment emphasising the “principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states”.
Russia’s objections were backed by allies Belarus, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua and Syria, but its amendment was overwhelmingly dismissed in a motion to take no action.
“It was somewhat irritating that, in the end, Russia once again tried to stop the whole process,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, co-sponsor of the text.
