The Summit of the Future is a high-level meeting that brings global leaders together to form a plan for safeguarding humanity’s future. It was first proposed in 2021 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The Summit aims to fix gaps in international cooperation, update outdated frameworks, and advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Held in September 2024, the Summit led to the adoption of the Pact for the Future, an agreement focusing on sustainable development, peace and security, science and technology, youth, and global governance. The Pact was developed with input from civil society, academia, and the private sector to guarantee broad and equal representation. The results include forward-thinking proposals without political convenience, interests, and short-term demands. The Pact includes the Global Digital Compact, the first global framework for digital cooperation, and the Declaration on Future Generations, which encourages countries to assess their policies’ impact on future generations. The Summit’s results include follow-up actions to ensure that countries comply with the agreed goals, including a digital review in 2027 and a review of progress in 2028.

Sometimes, the United Nations decides that a topic is so important for the future that it requires a special meeting. In September 2024, the Summit of the Future was held to discuss how new technologies will impact diplomacy in the years to come. Every UN member state took part in this meeting. One of the main achievements of the summit was the creation of the Global Digital Compact (GDC). The GDC is a plan meant to promote digital cooperation and help governments use artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly and sustainably. The main goals of the Compact are to close the digital gap, create an equal digital economy, improve AI rules, and make data use more inclusive. In this committee, delegates are now tasked with building trust in the development of emerging technologies, especially AI. This will be done by updating the Global Digital Compact for 2026 to keep up with the latest digital changes. The delegates at the Summit of the Future should focus on issues like fighting digital misinformation, promoting sustainable digital actions, and creating rules for AI to be used responsibly. The 2024 Compact has laid the groundwork, but now it is up to delegates to decide what is most important as they work on a new, relevant Compact that will shape the future of the digital world. The GDC will help guide a fair, inclusive, and forward-looking digital future.