Intervention by Mr. Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Charge d’ Affaires at the Informal consultations on the

Co-facilitators’ proposals on the Scope and Elements of the Summit of the Future
13 June 2023

Distinguished co-facilitators.

I thank you for convening this meeting and for the initiative taken to present to us a proposal on the scope and elements of the Summit of the Future. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by Cuba on behalf of the G77 and China as well as the statement by Pakistan, on behalf of the Like-Minded Group. We wish to submit the following points in our national capacity.

1.    The Summit of the Future, as its name suggests, should provide a beacon of light to all of us who are searching for collective solutions to the problems faced by humanity as a whole. It should therefore re-affirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, re-invigorate multilateralism and work out a strategy for implementing commitments that have already been undertaken. If existing commitments are implemented more in the breach, what assurance can we have that further new commitments agreed upon will be implemented in letter and in spirit.

2.    We are now almost on the cusp of a historic SDG Summit that would seek to evaluate the progress, or the lack thereof, in implementation of the SDGs. The outcomes of the SDG Summit and the Agenda 2030 should form the backbone of a Summit of the Future.

3.    With regard to the process, we would emphasize that rather than a procedural decision, a GA resolution that corresponds to the level of ambition of the Summit of the Future, be negotiated upon and the scope and elements captured in the resolution. This need not be a discussion on the substance but on the elements and should logically be the outcome of an intergovernmental negotiated process.

4.    On the proposed structure of the outcome document, or as it is put - “a Pact for the Future”, the basic idea of a chapeau with several clusters is agreeable. The chapeau should be on the lines that my delegation outlined earlier. Since the Like-Minded Group will be submitting a detailed document on this, I will not use this time to re-state the same. But we wish to emphasize that it should be based on the views of the member states with inputs taken, as appropriate, from the SG’s Policy briefs and stakeholders.

5.    Finally, in keeping with the need to have open, transparent and inclusive intergovernmental negotiations, we would request the co-facilitators to provide a calendar with appropriate time for delegations to digest the subject matter, consult each other and seek inputs from their capitals. Parallel processes that juxtapose over each other are already creating a severe strain on small delegations like mine.

6.    We remain confident that under your able guidance, we will see this process to a successful outcome. Thank you!