“We are at a moment of truth.

The truth is… we are not only in danger. We are the danger.

But we are also the solution.”

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

Setting targets and goals is integral to achieve aspirations. This is true for athletes, musicians, businesses, chefs, and certainly for multilateral negotiations. Upholding commitments, regardless of sector, also requires a level of resilience, an ability to preserve the essence of the vision while being able to adapt, reassess, and evolve.

The Summit for the Future (SOTF) held in UN headquarters in New York from 20 -23 September 2024 hosted a rare opportunity to provoke high-level decision makers, asking what can be done now to make multilateralism more ‘fit-for-purpose’ and effectively deliver a safe, just, and sustainable future for all. The adoption of the Pact or the Future kicked off NYC Climate Week, leading into the triple COP season (UNCBD COP 16, UNFCCC COP 29, and UNCCD COP 16) and the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Plastic Treaty (INC 5).

The question is: can we build trust and galvanise hope to build momentum for change? MedWaves converges synergies in the confidence that when we know the truth, we can do something about it.

The Summit of the Future (SOTF) was not just another high-level institutional meeting. This event dared to do what is rarely done in political spheres: admit failure. Secretary-General António Guterres convened the SOTF, declaring the need to respond to mounting and interconnected crises and sustainability challenges with peace and security. He explained that in our interconnected world, challenges are progressing at a rate that has outpaced the institutional framework. Artificial Intelligence, global pandemics, and the current wars and conflicts simply did not exist when the UN was established. Therefore, in order for the infrastructure to be effective, it must adapt. Solutions cannot be siloed.

Recognising that the world is off-track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is an important realisation for the collective movement to shift to a just transition and sustainable future. Secretary-General Guterres explained that previous Summits focused on the “what”… “what is needed?”, whereas the SOTF narrowed in on “how” to frame reform and achieve the goals set.

The SOTF was the culmination of negotiations for a Pact for the Future and its outcome documents the Global Digital Compact and Declaration of Future Generations, as well as hosts a series of interactive dialogues. One discussion centred on “Transforming Global Governance and Turbocharging the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Co-Chair K.P. Sharma Oil, Prime Minister of Nepal highlighted the priorities, including the need to bring the spirit of reform to financing architecture and bridge the SDG financing gap. Secretary-General Guterres used part of the Summit to rally support for the SDG Stimulus package as a way to rescue the SDGs, of which only 15% are currently on track to meet their targets. The package sets out to be a step change by multiplying resources available to developing countries to actually do what needs to be done for sustainability.

Throughout the Summit, a clear message of support for the Pact was made. Presentations, dialogues and statements made the call for meaningful inclusion of all parts of society, including women, youth and Indigenous and local communities as an essential component to a genuinely democratic decision-making process. Now, as the Summit closes and leads into the dense season of political activities, there is hope that momentum has been raised for both multilateral decision-making and local actions.

Realising a Just Transition ~ Localising Outcomes

Photo credit: UN Partnerships/Kiara Worth

On Sunday 22 September, when the leaders of the world adopted the Pact for the Future, they signalled a new path for a just, inclusive and peaceful future. The Pact recognises that “We are at a time of profound global transformation. We are confronted by rising catastrophic and existential risks, many caused by the choices we make. Fellow human beings are enduring terrible suffering. If we do not change course, we risk tipping into a future of persistent crisis and breakdown.”

In the path charted to stimulate much-needed reform, the Pact for the Future identifies specific commitments needed for sustainable development, even going a step further to name the specific actions required to ensure the realisation of the vision. One prioritised action area specifically relevant to the activities of MedWaves is accelerating efforts to restore, protect, conserve and sustainably use the environment. This entails promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns, such as sustainable lifestyles, and circular economy approaches as a pathway to achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns, and zero-waste initiatives.

During a policy round table event on the side of the SOTF, the session entitled ‘Making the circular economy work for global development: how the UN Summit of the Future can deliver’ presented a new Chatham House research paper. ‘Circular Futures 2050’ is part of a larger, the initiative Global Roadmapping process for an Inclusive Circular Economy, which outlines how a circular economic approach is critical to sustainable development at large. The initiative is supported by UNIDO, WBCSD, AfDB, ACEN, GIZ, UNEP, Circular Innovation Lab, EU CE Stakeholder Platform, PACE, World Economic Forum, IGES, Circular Electronics Partnership, Circle Economy Foundation, and The Wyss Academy for Nature.

MedWaves leads regional efforts for SDG Progress in the Mediterranean through Sustainable Consumption and Production

MedWaves, as an activity centre that evolved from the Barcelona Convention and the Stockholm Convention, works regionally to face the challenges of achieving the SDGs in the Mediterranean by supporting transformation through the promotion of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) activities. It is within the legacy of the centre to tie together regional activities with global agreements. The circular economy clearly presents a way to work towards getting the SDGs back on track. By supporting a just transition, MedWaves has a focus on providing technical and financial support to stimulate a shift to a circular, fair, and just economy in the region.

MedWaves dares to continuously evolve how to bring to life a world where production and consumption are zero-waste, non-polluting, low-carbon, resource-efficient and actually contribute to fair equitable socioeconomics. MedWaves is aligned with the Pact, recognising that now clearly is a moment to revitalise hope and converge synergies. “The choice is ours.” In order to make this choice more accessible to all, MedWaves offers support to each valued member of society, from supporting policy solutions and decision makers, to assisting entrepreneurs in creating new business models and green jobs. All citizens who want to unite for the planet find support at MedWaves.

A set of tools, developed by MedWaves, to empower stakeholders to take the pathway towards a sustainable future, grounded in eco-innovation and sustainable business models. One example of this type of support is the Open Eco-Innovation Manual for Circular Economy Enablers, which provides a manual to help match companies and public institutions in search of green and circular business solutions with entrepreneur providers using an open innovation approach.

People in the heart of transition: Building Trust

“How can the experiences of the people involved, beneficiaries and donors alike, show the impacts in their world? The most important ingredient is trust.”

Michèle Griffin, Director, Summit of the Future

Photo credit: UN Partnerships/Kiara Worth

The SOTF continued to raise the bar on aspirations for a sustainable future. Yet the progress that will be counted are actions that take place on the ground. This requires a whole of society approach and certainly supporting young people at the heart of the discussions.

Perhaps building trust is an element that is so obvious, it is often overlooked. Imagine cooking a cake feeling uncertain if the milk has gone bad, or dropping off a child to daycare without knowing if the caretaker is a safe person. Imagine using a bank without knowing if your money will be returned to you. In these scenarios, it is clear that the obvious prerequisite for participation is trust. Lengthy multilateral processes, increasing evidence of negative impacts of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss and widening gap in social inequalities all have seeded fear, anxiety and mistrust among many. Trust is key to any success, this is true in personal encounters, multilateralism, and certainly for the activities of MedWaves.

The Pact for the Future mentions the word trust 23 times, a record amount for a policy document. The premise of the Pact is that the transformational change required is one that “can only be addressed collectively, through strong and sustained international cooperation guided by trust and solidarity for the benefit of all and harnessing the power of those who can contribute from all sectors and generations.” Specific to the actions required to reform the path to achieving the SDGs, there is a focus on strengthening trust and social cohesion.

MedWaves has also invested in activities and programming to build trust. When we act together, we can change together. MedWaves strives to establish support for sustainable finance to catalyse systemic changes. Entrepreneurship developed according to the principles of sustainable consumption and production can help manage scarce natural resources, regenerate the ecosystem and ensure human development that is both efficient and sustainable. Therefore, increasing the numbers of Green Startups and MSMEs is an opportunity for the whole society, promoting innovation, inspiring others to follow the same path, and ultimately attracting interest and capital to the economic sectors that improve the environment and the economy as a whole.

MedWaves established The Switchers Fund to provide and facilitate direct funding and business support services to existing and future green, circular and social enterprises in the Mediterranean Region. The SwitchersFund mobilises local investors and enterprise support programmes as well as European resources to strengthen Mediterranean start-up projects and raise additional funds. The Switchers Fund serves as a meeting place for private funders including foundations, private donors and impact investors who can use it as a way to identify interesting projects in the Mediterranean that can be funded directly.

Under the MedWaves umbrella, JUST2CE aims to understand the conditions required for a responsible, inclusive and socially just transition to a circular economy. In the new documentary recently released (“JUST2CE: Four Circular Economy Stories”), these questions are drawn to the forefront through four case studies, or stories from Italy, Portugal, Ghana and South Africa. The film presents an honest research view into the realities of what technical, geopolitical and social factors can enable or hamper transformation. ​

Additionally, the SwitchMed Programme released a five-part podcast series, engaging experts in the Mediterranean region about the aspects of a building and sustaining a circular economy. SwitchMed Connect seeks to host discussions that help translate what is understood and a much-need transition to a circular economy featuring tangible steps and stories. Both the film and podcast demonstrate a willingness to engage in open, transparent ways to better understand an ever evolving model of development.

It truly is up to us, as individuals and as communities, to determine what the future will look like. In fact, 75% of the infrastructure that will exist in 2050 has yet to be built. The acceptance that the path undertaken is not delivering the results needed for the future we want creates an incredible opportunity to transform. The SOTF celebrates that the world understands the need for reform and system change. Stay tuned with MedWaves as we journey through the season of negotiations, tracking and digesting the outcomes of the UNCBD COP 16, UNFCCC COP 29, UNCCD COP 16), and the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Plastic Treaty (INC 5).

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