fter months of marathon negotiations among member states, the world’s leaders gathered in New York on 22 September 2024 to adopt the landmark Pact for the Future. This milestone came just days after I completed my term as chief of staff to Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly—yet I remained in New York to witness history unfold.
President Francis often referred to the pact as “the biggest harvest of the season,” and when his successor, Philemon Yang, brought down the famous “Hammer of Thor” (gavel)—a precious gift to the UN from Iceland in 1952—I felt a profound sense of fulfillment for being part of a process of such magnitude, one with consequences reaching into every corner of daily life. I had the honor of supporting President Francis to carefully steer the final stages of this outcome, building on the work of his predecessors, Presidents Abdulla Shahid and Csaba Kőrösi.
The pact was shaped not only by leadership at the UN but also by broad engagement across society. The ImPact Coalitions that emerged from the May 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi contributed vital perspectives rooted in lived experience. The result reflects the harsh realities faced by communities worldwide, and its ambition is unmistakable: to restore trust in multilateralism and spark a seismic shift in global governance for people and the planet.
We owe immense gratitude to the permanent representatives of Germany, Namibia, Jamaica, the Netherlands, Sweden, Rwanda and Zambia—a committed group who co–facilitated the Pact and its annexes with remarkable resolve. Alongside the UN secretary–general’s bold 2022 report entitled Our Common Agenda, and the unyielding advocacy of small states like Singapore and Qatar, their work kept multilateral cooperation alive at a time when cynicism toward global institutions is growing.
Comprising five chapters and 56 actions—and accompanied by the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations—the pact is deliberately ambitious. It breaks new ground including commitment to purposefully engage in long overdue reform of the Security Council as the primary custodian of our collective peace and security. Yet such ambition comes with heavy expectations. As the African proverb reminds us: “You can’t carry an elephant carcass with thin legs.” We must mobilize political will and every available capacity to implement what we have agreed.
Central to this will be civil society. Multilateral commitments only matter when translated into tangible improvements in communities, something I have witnessed firsthand through my recent work with the International Communities Organisation. Operating directly with communities in conflict–affected regions, ICO shows how grassroots experience can inform global implementation frameworks.
In Cameroon, Cyprus, Kosovo and in the Middle East, ICO has helped establish inclusive structures—such as Gender Coordination Committees—which provide local authorities with tools to design gender–responsive policies and enhance civic participation. These mechanisms ensure that gender–based vulnerabilities are not treated as an afterthought but tackled as core barriers to sustainable peace and equality. These kinds of practical models are essential to turning the pact’s commitments into real progress where it is needed most.
Because implementation matters. Without urgent action, the pact risks joining the long list of unfulfilled multilateral promises, deepening public frustration and the prevailing sentiment that UN summits change little. The pact must therefore be treated as a living document. It demands that governments lead boldly in partnership with civil society, youth, women and girls, the private sector, academia, financial institutions, philanthropy, and local communities. The principle of “leaving no one behind” must be operational, not rhetorical.
Member states do not “own” the pact. It reflects the mandate of world leaders acting on behalf of “We the Peoples,” as the UN Charter states. National governments must now embed its goals into policies and budgets, while welcoming actors who can accelerate implementation. Partnerships are already essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda—and they will be vital to the pact’s success.
There are proven cases of what can be achieved through productive partnerships. In Kosovo, the Forum for Non–Majority Communities—supported by the government and ICO—demonstrates how strengthening dialogue between authorities and minority groups can advance rights, empower communities, and improve trust in institutions. This is the pact in action: multilateralism realized through local cooperation.
There will always be limits to stakeholder participation in formal UN processes; the institution remains a community of sovereign states. But rather than allowing that to restrict us, we should embrace the ample room that exists for collaboration. As the saying goes: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Civil society’s role is not to replace states, but to help them succeed.
ICO’s support for the implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations offers a strong example. By helping governments follow through on commitments they themselves have made, ICO translates multilateral agreements into measurable gains, demonstrating how purposeful international accountability can improve lives.
As we enter the second year of implementation, early indicators reveal the scale of the task ahead. This is why ICO’s For Our Future report, launched in December 2025, will be an important contribution: It will showcase lessons learned from on–the–ground experiences and successful models that can help accelerate delivery of the pact’s commitments.
Since earning ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council) consultative status in 2021, ICO has strengthened its bottom–up approach, combining diplomacy, community empowerment, and social development, shaped through experience in conflict–affected regions. It ensures communities are not passive beneficiaries, but engaged partners shaping their own futures. That is the essence of leaving no one behind.
The Pact for the Future stands as a triumph of multilateral cooperation at a time when such unity is under threat. Its credibility now rests on our collective ability to act. Implementation requires every hand, every voice, and every sector—working together to ensure that the promise agreed in New York becomes a reality felt around the world.
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The fate of the UN’s Pact for the Future lies far beyond New York
Photo by James Wong via Pexels.
January 14, 2026
The Pact for the Future marks a powerful moment of multilateral ambition, yet its success rests on inclusive, real–world implementation beyond diplomacy, writes Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile.
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fter months of marathon negotiations among member states, the world’s leaders gathered in New York on 22 September 2024 to adopt the landmark Pact for the Future. This milestone came just days after I completed my term as chief of staff to Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly—yet I remained in New York to witness history unfold.
President Francis often referred to the pact as “the biggest harvest of the season,” and when his successor, Philemon Yang, brought down the famous “Hammer of Thor” (gavel)—a precious gift to the UN from Iceland in 1952—I felt a profound sense of fulfillment for being part of a process of such magnitude, one with consequences reaching into every corner of daily life. I had the honor of supporting President Francis to carefully steer the final stages of this outcome, building on the work of his predecessors, Presidents Abdulla Shahid and Csaba Kőrösi.
The pact was shaped not only by leadership at the UN but also by broad engagement across society. The ImPact Coalitions that emerged from the May 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi contributed vital perspectives rooted in lived experience. The result reflects the harsh realities faced by communities worldwide, and its ambition is unmistakable: to restore trust in multilateralism and spark a seismic shift in global governance for people and the planet.
We owe immense gratitude to the permanent representatives of Germany, Namibia, Jamaica, the Netherlands, Sweden, Rwanda and Zambia—a committed group who co–facilitated the Pact and its annexes with remarkable resolve. Alongside the UN secretary–general’s bold 2022 report entitled Our Common Agenda, and the unyielding advocacy of small states like Singapore and Qatar, their work kept multilateral cooperation alive at a time when cynicism toward global institutions is growing.
Comprising five chapters and 56 actions—and accompanied by the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations—the pact is deliberately ambitious. It breaks new ground including commitment to purposefully engage in long overdue reform of the Security Council as the primary custodian of our collective peace and security. Yet such ambition comes with heavy expectations. As the African proverb reminds us: “You can’t carry an elephant carcass with thin legs.” We must mobilize political will and every available capacity to implement what we have agreed.
Central to this will be civil society. Multilateral commitments only matter when translated into tangible improvements in communities, something I have witnessed firsthand through my recent work with the International Communities Organisation. Operating directly with communities in conflict–affected regions, ICO shows how grassroots experience can inform global implementation frameworks.
In Cameroon, Cyprus, Kosovo and in the Middle East, ICO has helped establish inclusive structures—such as Gender Coordination Committees—which provide local authorities with tools to design gender–responsive policies and enhance civic participation. These mechanisms ensure that gender–based vulnerabilities are not treated as an afterthought but tackled as core barriers to sustainable peace and equality. These kinds of practical models are essential to turning the pact’s commitments into real progress where it is needed most.
Because implementation matters. Without urgent action, the pact risks joining the long list of unfulfilled multilateral promises, deepening public frustration and the prevailing sentiment that UN summits change little. The pact must therefore be treated as a living document. It demands that governments lead boldly in partnership with civil society, youth, women and girls, the private sector, academia, financial institutions, philanthropy, and local communities. The principle of “leaving no one behind” must be operational, not rhetorical.
Member states do not “own” the pact. It reflects the mandate of world leaders acting on behalf of “We the Peoples,” as the UN Charter states. National governments must now embed its goals into policies and budgets, while welcoming actors who can accelerate implementation. Partnerships are already essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda—and they will be vital to the pact’s success.
There are proven cases of what can be achieved through productive partnerships. In Kosovo, the Forum for Non–Majority Communities—supported by the government and ICO—demonstrates how strengthening dialogue between authorities and minority groups can advance rights, empower communities, and improve trust in institutions. This is the pact in action: multilateralism realized through local cooperation.
There will always be limits to stakeholder participation in formal UN processes; the institution remains a community of sovereign states. But rather than allowing that to restrict us, we should embrace the ample room that exists for collaboration. As the saying goes: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Civil society’s role is not to replace states, but to help them succeed.
ICO’s support for the implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations offers a strong example. By helping governments follow through on commitments they themselves have made, ICO translates multilateral agreements into measurable gains, demonstrating how purposeful international accountability can improve lives.
As we enter the second year of implementation, early indicators reveal the scale of the task ahead. This is why ICO’s For Our Future report, launched in December 2025, will be an important contribution: It will showcase lessons learned from on–the–ground experiences and successful models that can help accelerate delivery of the pact’s commitments.
Since earning ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council) consultative status in 2021, ICO has strengthened its bottom–up approach, combining diplomacy, community empowerment, and social development, shaped through experience in conflict–affected regions. It ensures communities are not passive beneficiaries, but engaged partners shaping their own futures. That is the essence of leaving no one behind.
The Pact for the Future stands as a triumph of multilateral cooperation at a time when such unity is under threat. Its credibility now rests on our collective ability to act. Implementation requires every hand, every voice, and every sector—working together to ensure that the promise agreed in New York becomes a reality felt around the world.
