Global transformation for future generations

We live in an era of rapid change. On one hand, technological and scientific growth has provided unprecedented levels of access to knowledge, global communication, and interconnectedness. On the other hand, we are confronted with an overwhelming amount of dangerous misinformation, imminent threats to our safety and livelihood, and risks of economic, environmental, social and political instability for our future.

At the Summit of the Future in  September 2024, UN Member States adopted the Pact for the Future and its annexes: the Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations. These frameworks reaffirm the international community’s commitment to reducing global inequalities and strive for safety, peace, equality, and sustainability. Importantly, this commitment extends beyond governments, it calls on all stakeholders, including academia and civil society, to take part in shaping a more resilient, inclusive, and equitable future for all. 

To achieve this goal and protect future generations, a global transformation of economic, sociopolitical, and technological systems is needed. Only through such a transformation will it be possible to effectively address and respond to the pressing challenges of our time that are placing increasing pressure on international cooperation, social cohesion, economic stability, and the resilience of communities worldwide. These challenges include ongoing trends and recent crises, such as persistent conflict and sociopolitical instability, high population growth and demographic pressure in some regions, rising inequalities, rapid and unregulated technological change, and accelerating environmental degradation driven by climate change. 

While the vertiginous pace of technology brings about new possibilities, it also provides new and unique risks to our safety and well-being. Inequality is growing substantially across many areas, including in the realm of technology, leading to new and widening digital divides. Certain population groups are disproportionately affected by these inequalities—among them migrants, who in many countries are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of discrimination and deprivation. The sociopolitical and economic crises the world is facing today are further exacerbated by environmental degradation and climate change with global policy responses still lagging behind to what is needed to securing a sustaining a sustainable future for all. 

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, the 2025–2026 RAUN theme - Global Transformation for Future Generations - calls on us to examine how today’s actions can shape a more just, resilient, and sustainable world. This theme invites participants to explore the major transitions of our time, and to contribute with ideas and collaborative solutions that put future generations at the heart of decision-making.

Only by working together - across borders, sectors, and generations - can we turn today’s global challenges into opportunities for long-term, positive change.