By Yusrin Junaidi
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, SEPT 23 – His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, yesterday left to attend the Future Summit at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly -The United Nations (UN) located at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA.
During the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam was pleased to issue a decree emphasizing that the United Nations has risen more than eighty years ago from a world divided by conflict in order to create collective aspirations for the future which is built on unity rather than division. The UN, His Majesty emphasized, has steered the rise and fall of empires, as well as the effects of natural disasters and pandemics.
However, despite these difficulties, the humanitarian principles of the UN remain a guide for all in the face of new and emerging global challenges.
In keeping with the theme Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better TomorrowHis Majesty outlined three main points. A first in this interconnected world, the digital divide threatens to deepen inequality between countries and societies. However, only through global peace can humanity strive to achieve extraordinary advances in technology, medicine and infrastructure. Therefore, His Majesty insisted to maintain global peace to ensure that all those involved continue to strive to achieve a partnership that facilitates fair and inclusive technological progress for all countries.
The Second Point is that for Brunei Darussalam, the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals are not just a benchmark, but rather a voice of hope for a better future. Therefore, this summit reinforces the commitment that no one is left behind and which is firmly centered in the values ​​that define our common humanity.
Meanwhile the third point, Brunei Darussalam as a member of the UN and ASEAN for the past four decades has accepted its global role by supporting multilateralism and rules-based international legislation to maintain peace, security and stability in the region and beyond. The current international peace landscape, he added, is at a critical juncture, with ongoing conflicts and diplomatic deadlocks testing the resilience of global cooperation.
His Majesty went on to state that the summit reaffirmed the commitment to uphold the UN Charter and international law without prejudice or discrimination in order to firmly unite countries. In this direction, His Majesty expressed confidence that the collective vision can be transformed into a bright reality for the present and future generations, this is ‘Pact for the Future’ for all.
The summit was also attended by world leaders to increase cooperation in dealing with current and future global challenges, as well as provide an opportunity to rebuild trust for international cooperation towards shaping a better future for all. It also reaffirmed existing commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Charter.
Earlier, in exhibiting global unity for present and future generations, the outcome document ‘Pact for the Future’ was approved during the opening segment of the Future Summit.
The document focuses on five areas namely Sustainable Development and Finance for Development; International Peace and Security; Science, Technology and Innovation and Digital Collaboration; Youth and Future Generations; and Transforming Global Governance. In addition, documents Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations has also been confirmed. The Summit was also preceded by statements from the President of the UN General Assembly, His Excellency Philemon Yang.
Leaving to accompany His Majesty His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam is His Royal Highness Pengiran Anak Puteri Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah.
