Declaration on Future Generations — Revisions
Declaration on Future Generations Rev.3, Co-facilitators' letter: Revision 3 Silence Procedure and Update Following Silence Procedure.
Declaration on Future Generations Rev.2, accompanying explanatory note, and Co-facilitators' letter: Revision 2 and updates.
Declaration on Future Generations Rev.1, accompanying explanatory note, and Co-facilitators' letter: Revision 1 and updates.
Outcome Document:
Declaration on Future Generations — Zero Draft
The President of the General Assembly and the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process on the Declaration on Future Generations announce the release of the zero draft of the Declaration on Future Generations.
Presentation of the Zero Draft [pdf]:
Towards a Declaration on Future Generations
In its , the General Assembly committed to adopting a Declaration on Future Generations which would, if intergovernmentally agreed, be annexed to the Pact for the Future and form one of the outcomes of the Summit of the Future to be held on 22 and 23 September 2024 in New York. The process of elaborating such a Declaration will be open, transparent and inclusive, involving consultations with Member States, as well as with relevant stakeholders. The idea of such a Declaration is not new and indeed we have made countless commitments to take future generations into account, dating back to the UN Charter. The time to turn these promises into concrete reality has come.
The UN Secretary-General, in his report "Our Common Agenda", invited Member States and other stakeholders to consider specific steps to account for the interests of future generations in national and global decision making and to consolidate these efforts in a Declaration on Future Generations. To do so would be an important step in keeping the promise also of the Declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations (), in which heads of state committed to work together with partners to strengthen coordination and global governance for the common future of present and coming generations.
An intergovernmental process for a Declaration on Future Generations was initiated in June 2022, under the leadership of the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, the latter being later succeeded by the Permanent Representative of Jamaica.
On 10 October 2023, the President of the General Assembly reappointed the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations as co-facilitators to continue their leadership of the intergovernmental process for the Declaration on Future Generations during the 78th Session.
Written inputs
for the Declaration on Future Generations
Stakeholders were invited to reflect their suggestions in writing. Their inputs are now available to Member States and to the public to inform the preparation of the zero draft of the Declaration on Future Generations, in accordance with the roadmap outlined here.
Co-facilitators' letters
for the Declaration on Future Generations
- Letter dated 21 August 2024
Update following silence procedure - Letter dated 13 August 2024
Letter on Rev.3 Silence Procedure - Letter dated 02 July 2024
Letter on Rev.2 of the Declaration on Future Generations, on an Ambassadorial-level meeting, and an updated roadmap - Letter dated 19 June 2024
Way forward for the intergovernmental process for the Declaration on Future Generations with updated roadmap - Letter dated 6 June 2024
A virtual stakeholder briefing on 12th June 2024, from 10:00am to 12:00pm EDT - Letter dated 31 May 2024
Revision 1 Explanatory Note and Update on Intergovernmental Process - Letter dated 26 March 2024
Intergovernmental Process for the Declaration on Future Generations: Presentation of the Zero Draft - Letter dated 27 February 2024
Update on the Intergovernmental Process: Presentation of the zero draft of the Declaration on Future Generations on 8 April 2024 - Letter dated 12 January 2024
Invitation to stakeholders to submit written inputs by 22 January 2024 - Letter dated 15 December 2023
Intergovernmental Process, stakeholder virtual consultation from 15-16 January, and written inputs
Further resources
In preparing their interventions, representatives of the various stakeholder groups are encouraged to reflect on the Our Common Agenda policy brief entitled, "To Think and Act for Future Generations", as well as the issues paper produced by the co-facilitators on 27th June 2023.