Russia Faces Isolation at the UN Summit After Attempt to Block Reform Pact Fails

Department of Security and Military Research and Studies 24-09-2024

Russia’s unexpected move to delay the adoption of a far-reaching “pact for the future” aimed at reforming the United Nations was overwhelmingly rejected at a UN summit in New York, leaving Moscow isolated.

The proposal to postpone the adoption of the pact, which Russia claimed served Western interests, was decisively voted down on Sunday by 143 nations, with only seven in favor and 15 abstaining.

Russia’s delegation argued that if the vote to endorse the “pact for the future” was not delayed for further discussion, they would introduce an amendment emphasizing that the issues addressed by the pact were matters of national jurisdiction in which the UN should not interfere.

However, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly dismissed Russia’s request for deferral and its proposed amendment.

The Russian action, at the start of the two-day “Summit for the Future,” appeared diplomatically awkward and seemed aimed more at a domestic audience. It drew strong opposition from representatives of the African Union (AU) and Mexico, signaling Russia’s limited support, which came from Belarus, Venezuela, Syria, and Iran.

The AU, led by the Republic of Congo, urged member states to reject Russia’s amendment.

The pact is widely regarded by many in the Global South as a sincere and necessary initiative for renewing the UN, and as an important part of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s legacy.

However, the incident also highlighted the deep ideological rifts that have hindered multilateral cooperation at the UN—precisely the problem the pact aims to address.

Russia opposed 25 key points in the draft pact, including prioritizing national sovereignty and rejecting language on universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights, as well as broader gender empowerment provisions.

Following Russia’s defeat, Guterres emphasized that the pact seeks to “rescue multilateralism from the edge of collapse” at a time when global issues like debt in developing nations and the climate crisis demand 21st-century solutions.

Graham Gordon, head of global advocacy at Christian Aid, remarked, “Despite its limitations, the pact offers guidance for what needs to be achieved in other international forums, such as the IMF, COP, and G20. The real test will come in the next 12 months, as we evaluate the progress generated by this document. It is significant in its acknowledgment of the current failures of multilateralism.”

Guterres initially called for the Summit for the Future over two years ago, aiming to convince world leaders, following the Covid-19 pandemic, that renewed cooperation and multilateralism were essential.

The 26-page pact, featuring 56 recommendations, proposes a fresh start for multilateralism and consistently upholds the primacy of international law. However, the absence of concrete new measures has somewhat diluted its immediate impact.

Key areas covered include reforming and expanding the UN Security Council to reflect modern global dynamics, establishing a UN role in the governance of artificial intelligence, phasing out fossil fuels, reforming financial institutions, reaffirming commitments to nuclear disarmament, and modernizing peacekeeping operations to focus on conflict prevention.

Notable proposals include holding biennial UN summits on the global economy, creating an emergency platform to address pandemics, food insecurity, and environmental disasters, and establishing a new UN advisory body to assess the risks posed by AI to global economies.

One contentious issue was Western opposition to granting the UN a role in making financial institutions more inclusive. Additionally, a UN-led initiative to include a $500 billion stimulus for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals was also turned down.