UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥� The U.N. General Assembly adopted a 鈥淧act for the Future鈥� to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Now comes the hard part: uniting the world鈥檚 divided nations to move quickly to implement the agreement's 56 actions.
As Czech President Petr Pavel put it Monday at the summit meeting surrounding the pact: 鈥淥ur work begins at home.鈥�
The 193-member world body approved the pact Sunday. The document is meant to link nations in tackling challenges ranging from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty 鈥� and improve the lives of the world鈥檚 more than 8 billion people.
The 42-page pact was adopted at Sunday鈥檚 opening of a two-day 鈥淪ummit of the Future,鈥� which continued Monday as leaders of many countries gave their views on the challenges facing the world.
And with those remarks, the leaders previewed some themes to expect at the , which gets into full gear Tuesday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for technology regulation that's global but 鈥渆nsures that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld.鈥� Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated his country's frequent complaints about nations dividing into geopolitical blocs, and about countries singlehandedly imposing sanctions.
Leaders from countries ranging from Angola to Ecuador to Slovakia mentioned a roster of other challenges: inequality, youth unemployment, the spread of disinformation, and more.
Russia tried to change the pact
Right up to Sunday's vote, it was unclear whether the pact would be adopted. In fact, there was so much suspense that U.N. Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres had three prepared speeches, one for approval, one for rejection, and one if things weren鈥檛 clear, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Russia鈥檚 Deputy Foreign Minster Sergey Vershinin proposed an amendment that would have significantly watered down the agreement. 鈥淣o one is happy with this pact,鈥� he said.
It turned out he was wrong. Some 143 countries, including Africa's 54 nations, voted not to take action on Russia's amendment. Only six countries supported Russia -- Iran, Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan and Syria. Fifteen countries abstained.
Assembly President Phil茅mon Yang then put the pact to a vote and banged his gavel, signifying the consensus of all U.N. member nations that was required for approval 鈥� to vigorous applause.
Russia has made significant inroads in Africa, in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Central African Republic. The rejection of Russia鈥檚 amendments by African countries and Mexico, a major Latin American power, was seen as a blow to Moscow by some diplomats and observers.
Vershinin complained at the summit Monday that the pact contains some 鈥渦nacceptable elements." His country wants 鈥渢o disassociate ourselves from the consensus鈥� on it, he said.
He spoke about an hour before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who referred to Russia and supporters of its proposed amendment as 鈥渁ccomplices鈥� in opposing efforts to make the U.N. more effective.
The secretary-general issues a challenge
Guterres, clearly relieved by the pact's approval, then issued a challenge to the leaders: Implement the pact. Prioritize dialogue and negotiations. End 鈥渨ars tearing our world apart鈥� from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan. Reform the powerful U.N. Security Council. Accelerate changes to the international financial system. Ramp up a transition from fossil fuels. Listen to young people and include them in decision-making.
For all the endorsements of the agreement, some speakers noted shortcomings.
The Marshall Islands鈥� president, Hilda Heine, said it鈥檚 鈥渉ard not to be frustrated over apparent political limitations鈥� in the pact.
鈥淭here is an incredible and persistent gap between ambitious solutions and international finance at hand," she said.
Speaking for the U.N.鈥檚 main bloc of developing countries 鈥� the Group of 77, which now has 134 members, including China 鈥� Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja regretted that the pact doesn鈥檛 recognize actions that developed countries should take to close the widening gaps between them and developing countries.
In a rare move at a high-level U.N. meeting where leaders often exceed the announced time limit, speeches were muted after five minutes.
There's a long list of things to tackle
The Pact for the Future says world leaders are gathering 鈥渁t a time of profound global transformation,鈥� and it warns of 鈥渞ising catastrophic and existential risks鈥� that could tip people everywhere 鈥渋nto a future of persistent crisis and breakdown.鈥�
Guterres singled out a number of key provisions in the pact and its accompanying annexes, a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations.
The pact commits world leaders to reform the 15-member Security Council, to make it more reflective of today鈥檚 world and 鈥渞edress the historical injustice against Africa,鈥� which has no permanent seat, and to address the under-representation of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.
It also 鈥渞epresents the first agreed multilateral support for nuclear disarmament in more than a decade,鈥� Guterres said, and it commits 鈥渢o steps to prevent an arms race in outer space and to govern the use of lethal autonomous weapons.鈥�
The Global Digital Compact 鈥渋ncludes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of artificial intelligence,鈥� the U.N. chief said.
As for human rights, Guterres said, 鈥渋n the face of a surge in misogyny and a rollback of women鈥檚 reproductive rights,鈥� the document commits governments to removing legal, social and economic barriers facing women and girls.
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Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has covered foreign affairs for more than a half-century. See more of AP's coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at
Jennifer Peltz And Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
