More than 130 heads of state and government met at United Nations Headquarters in New York last September for the Summit of the Future amid an expanding war in the Middle East, continued devastating conflicts in Africa and Europe, and distrust among Member States of the “global south” over the “global north’s” failure to deliver on past commitments to fight climate change, hunger, and extreme poverty. So perhaps it is all the more remarkable that they mustered agreement on key documents that may re-establish a path toward enhanced global cooperation through the United Nations and beyond.
Pressed by the energetic advocacy of more than 10,000 civil society representatives in the preceding “Action Days” at UN Headquarters, the global leaders gathering for the Summit of the Future produced a Pact for the Future, including a Global Digital Compact, and a Declaration on Future Generations.
On December 17, 2024, the Embassy of Switzerland hosted a panel discussion moderated by Richard Ponzio, Director of the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at the Stimson Center. The panelists, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Michele Sison, Swiss Ambassador Dr. Ralf Heckner, and Brenda Mofya, Head of Oxfam International’s United Nations/New York Office, reflected on the summit’s tangible achievements and how these hard-fought agreements will be implemented and could serve as stepping-stones for even more ambitious reforms down the road.
About the panelists:
Swiss Ambassador Dr. Ralf Heckner served as Deputy Head of the United Nations and Other International Organizations Division at the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2012. With Switzerland having served as a non-permanent member on the Security Council for the term 2023-2024, Dr. Heckner offered reflections on the challenges and opportunities for the Council in the current political climate and insights into the role of non-permanent members in facilitating communication on polarizing topics.
Ambassador Michele J. Sison is the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She served as U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations 2014-2018, where she helped build global coalitions to counter transnational threats to peace and security and advocated for a more effective, efficient, and accountable UN and multilateral system. Ambassador Sison has long experience with UN peacekeeping and the UN entities responsible for development, humanitarian relief, and human rights.
Brenda Mofya is the Head of Oxfam International’s United Nations/New York Office. She leads Oxfam’s efforts to develop and implement advocacy strategies that influence high-level decision-makers at the UN, ensuring their policies have a lasting, positive impact on the countries and communities most in need. Ms. Mofya is a seasoned international development expert, covering such areas as governance, inequality, human rights, gender, humanitarian action, and peace and security. She previously worked for the African Union Commission and Oxfam in Addis Ababa and with the American Friends Service Committee in Harare.
Inspired by Switzerland’s globally recognized dual-education system, Governor Kevin Stitt (OK) and Chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), has...
