Agenda for a sustainable future we need

Kim Won-soo

Next week, the United Nations will convene the Summit of the Future, bringing together world leaders from both the public and private sectors. The summit is intended to address eroded trust and foster a renewed international consensus for a better future.

The world today is experiencing profound turmoil, with humanity facing an unprecedented array of existential threats on multiple fronts. Predicting how the world will look in a decade is increasingly challenging, depending largely on how effectively humanity can address these looming threats. The outcome remains uncertain as the international community remains divided. The United Nations is currently paralyzed by renewed great power rivalries and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Political divides among nations hinder effective climate action towards carbon neutrality, while technological advancements are outpacing the development of regulatory frameworks needed to manage risks, due to a lack of global consensus on the optimal balance between innovation and regulation.

The Summit of the Future aims to overcome current divisions and encourage world leaders to think creatively about a better future. As Stephen Heintz of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund notes in a recent report titled "Logic for the Future," the greatest risk during times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but rather "acting with yesterday’s logic." However, the prospects for shifting this logic through international negotiations are slim, given the widening divides between the Global North and South and the Global West and East. Against this backdrop, the U.N. seeks to offer a forward-looking blueprint for action, while similar efforts are also being undertaken by various think tanks.

Professor John Ikenberry of Princeton is spearheading efforts to reimagine the world order, collaborating with think tank leaders from across the globe, including those from the Global South and East. The Quincy Institute is nearing completion of its Better Order Project, which aims to present proposals for a more effective security framework suited to the next 10 to 15 years.

The agenda for sustainability needs urgent overhaul. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed in 2015 are not moving forward at all with its target year of 2030 around the corner. The post-SDG agenda, including climate change in particular, must be transformative and enforceable for the larger good of humanity and Earth. We must recognize that humanity is not separate from nature, but an integral part of it. It is essential to move away from the unsustainable paradigms of industrial civilization, which rely heavily on fossil fuels and entail massive production and consumption.

The coming decade will be crucial yet uncertain for human survival. We cannot afford to fail in transforming the current paradigms of civilization. A new global paradigm, built on fresh logic and an innovative institutional framework, must be created. We owe it to future generations to make these efforts, regardless of how slim the chance of success may seem. It is imperative to ensure that the age of turbulence does not devolve into an age of catastrophe. Without concerted efforts, we risk heading toward dystopia; with them, we can prevent or mitigate the worst outcomes.

This paradigm shift requires fundamental rethinking. As the “Logic for the Future” report highlights, old paradigms of anthropocentrism, the primacy of national interests and the dogma of neo-liberal economics need to be reoriented toward a focus on global commons, respect for the community of life and economics of human and planetary wellbeing. None of these shifts is easy. Achieving this is not feasible without a collective awakening of humanity. However, nothing is impossible if we respond together to the call for action. As Hannah Arendt said, we have the freedom to change the world and begin something new within it.

Korea stands at the forefront of these challenges. Having achieved remarkable success in transitioning to a liberal democracy and a competitive market economy, Korea now faces increasing signs of political, socio-economic, and environmental malaise. In its enlightened self-interest, Korea must seek a new paradigm to move beyond business-as-usual and towards a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future. Positioned uniquely as the only nation to rise from the Global South to the North, Korea is well-placed to explore new paradigms with the Global West in a way that resonates with the majority of nations in the Global South. Korea can act as a bridge, connecting the Global West, East, and South.

Through these roles, Korea can champion a new path for a sustainable future. This will be another example of success for Korea. Korea has the potential to achieve this not only for Koreans but also for all of humanity.

Kim Won-soo is the former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and the High Representative for Disarmament. He is now the Chair Professor of the Kyung Hee University in Korea.