Statement by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Vershinin at the Summit of the Future
Distinguished colleagues,
Today’s world is confronted with unprecedented challenges which require collective decisions, that is why the UN Secretary General’s proposal of convening the Summit of the Future resonated widely among the Member States of the United Nations and was supported by Russia.
We must not forget that it was the unity of States in combating Nazism and their desire to cooperate in good faith to address global problems that led to the establishment of the United Nations. It is impossible to achieve consensus without political will, much less implement the UN goals of restoring peace, ensuring indivisible security and achieving the development goals. In a word, genuine multilateralism is the foundation of the effectiveness and credibility of the UN.
As a founding member of the United Nations and a responsible member of the international community, Russia attaches particular importance to strengthening the system of multilateral cooperation. We believe that in the realities of a multipolar world, the United Nations should play a central coordinating role, aligning Member States’ positions and searching for collective responses to global challenges.
It is in that spirit that Russian has been actively involved in drafting the Pact for the Future from the very beginning. We were not guided solely by our national interests. We also pursued the priorities of the global majority. Our delegation has been unswervingly constructive and open to dialogue in the interests of compromise.
Nevertheless, the final versions of the Pact and its annexes still contain non-consensual elements that do not contribute to the achievement of the stated goals of the Summit and are fraught with adverse consequences for the very foundations of the UN’s work.
Therefore, Russia did not block the adoption of the Pact and joined the earlier statement of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter. However, we would like to disassociate ourselves from the consensus on the Pact and the Global Digital Compact, especially regarding the elements outlined below.
Specifically, we cannot support wording that aims to undermine the intergovernmental nature of the United Nations. What is also unacceptable is selective quoting of universally recognized principles of international law. For example, the document does not explicitly mention the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States, nor does it mention the principle of cooperation.
We and a host of other countries, which also pursue a sovereign foreign policy, cannot support the strengthening of the role of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which is known for its bias and for condoning Western interests.
We oppose expediting the process of nuclear disarmament. Given the disregard for the principle of equal and indivisible security, such ideas are frankly unrealistic, if not destructive.
The Global Digital Compact also contains serious shortcomings. It contains provisions to facilitate the attempts to put non-governmental entities and governments on an equal footing when taking decisions on the international technological agenda, and to create additional review mechanisms with unclear mandates.
It goes without a doubt that the documents adopted at the Summit contain some ideas that meet the expectations of the global majority. These include reforming the global financial architecture, expanding access to technologies and bridging the digital divide in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We welcome the Declaration on Future Generations, which is a shining example of the fact that it is possible to achieve consensus within the UN if the political will is there.
Given such a stance of ours, we would like to underscore that the Summit’s outcome documents do not impose any obligations regarding the provisions on which there is no consensus. They cannot be reproduced in other UN documents automatically, as they require additional painstaking consideration and agreement with the participation of all Member States, with rigorous respect for their approaches and concerns.
Thank you for your attention.
