Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates at the United Nations the world is at a global inflection point, having a choice between walking away from multilateralism or setting differences aside to confront serious global challenges.
鈥淲e have a responsibility,鈥� Trudeau said, 鈥渢o deliver on a pact for the future that builds a more peaceful world, but also one where everyone 鈥� every generation 鈥� has a real and fair shot.鈥�
Trudeau was speaking at the UN鈥檚 first-ever Summit of the Future. The high-level event brings world leaders together to create a new international consensus on how to strengthen democracy, defend global security, improve access to health care, including reproductive health.
According to the UN鈥檚 website, the summit is also an opportunity to re-commit to the organization鈥檚 sustainable development goals. Those goals include eliminating poverty and hunger across the globe and ensuring good health and well being for all across the world.
Progress on the Pact of the Future could be stalled with Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries objecting to language around climate change and reforming international financial institutions.
Evoking the formation of the UN nearly eight decades ago, Trudeau called on delegates to remember why the multilateral organization was first formed.
鈥淲e did so with the aspiration to build something better, for today鈥檚 generation, yes, but also for many generations to come,鈥� he said.
The summit is a moment of reckoning for the UN, as countries move away from established partnerships and splits into different coalitions and blocks. The Summit of the Future was first announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2021. Two years later he called for urgent action noting the world was falling behind on meeting its sustainable development goals (SDG鈥檚).
鈥淭he SDG鈥檚 need a global rescue plan,鈥� Guterres told the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goals last September. 鈥淭oday, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track and many are going in reverse.鈥�
The hope is the Summit of the Future will push countries to implement the existing commitments and agree to new challenges.
In his speech, Trudeau issued challenges to other countries while promoting policies his government have moved forward on. Citing the national child care program, school mean program and national dental care, Trudeau said they delivered on the promise of Canada for every generation.
鈥淭hese choices reflect a commitment to investing in our people and in our future,鈥� said Trudeau in his speech. 鈥淏ut also a commitment to tackle global problems we all share.鈥�
While in New York, the prime minister will co-host a discussion with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille to help mobilize resources needed to addressed crises that country continues to deal with. A news release ahead of the trip says Canada will support solutions that are 鈥淗aitian-led and focus on the needs of the Haitian people.
Trudeau is also scheduled to host a high-level event with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, to promote action on climate change, carbon pricing and industrial decarbonization.
Trudeau is also expected to make an appearance on 鈥淭he Late Show with Stephen Colbert鈥� Monday night. American drag queen and personality RuPaul Charles is scheduled to be on the same episode.
The prime minister鈥檚 U.S. late night TV debut comes as his government faces a non-confidence motion vote on Wednesday in Ottawa. Trudeau is expected to be back in parliament for that vote as his minority government no longer has the protection of the supply and confidence agreement with the NDP.
