Last year, the United Nations (UN) celebrated 75 years of global cooperation. This year the UN looks ahead to the organization’s next 75 years. What challenges will world nations face? What opportunities will there be to improve people’s lives? What does the future of global cooperation look like? These questions and more will be explored at the upcoming UN Summit of the Future.
The UN was founded in 1945. In the years before its creation, much of the world had suffered through a devastating war. World leaders came together to establish an organization to promote peace and encourage friendly relations among nations. Today, the UN has 193 member states! Over the years, the UN has pushed for human rights protections and aid for people in need. The UN has also worked to achieve agreements to solve environmental and climate issues.
The UN highlights several challenges facing world nations in the coming decades. One challenge is building a global economy that is sustainable (ensuring there are enough resources for people in the future). A related challenge is confronting climate change. Rising temperatures have caused extreme weather events around the world. Floods, droughts, and hurricanes have increased in recent years. Climate scientists recommend that countries move away from burning coal and natural gas to meet energy needs. They say that using wind and solar power to produce energy will slow global warming.
The Summit of the Future will take place on September 22–23. UN Secretary-General António Guterres hopes that the summit will lead to an agreement on what the future should look like. Besides climate and sustainability, the summit will cover many other critical topics. Attendees will discuss human rights and how to prevent violent conflicts around the world. They will consider solutions to gender and economic inequality. They also aim to engage young people in decision making about the future. Secretary-General Guterres believes that young people are “deeply concerned about the future and frequently demonstrate a greater willingness to think big.”
What Do You Think? What issue or topic having to do with the future is the most important for people to address? Why?
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