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Declarations on Future Generations
Imagine what the world would be like if we truly took into account the needs and rights of our grandchildren and their children in global and national decision making and in how corporations and financial institutions invest, conduct business and engage with communities. We often here how ‘short-termism’ is a key barrier to sustainable development and climate action.
Well, a legal instrument is in development that could do just that for the world. The Declaration on Future Generations is in preparation for adoption by heads of state at the UN Summit of the Future, to be held in New York from 21-22 September 2024, and the Future of Climate Cooperation is convening a network of thinkers, activists, and key organisations to help shape that Declaration and its implementation. The Declaration could be a critical catalyst to a more robust system of long-term oriented governance at the local, national, and global scales. Adjusting the tools human societies use to govern themselves in order to account properly for long-term challenges and future generations is a monumental transformation, akin to the advent of multilateralism itself. Just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sparked what would eventually become the broader human rights regime, including an array of global, regional, national, and local institutions, so too could a DFG seed a long-term oriented shift in human governance.