Generational fairness goes global at UN Summit of the Future
We're bringing our generational fairness solutions to the first-ever United Nations' Summit of the Future in New York this September. Canada will join other world leaders to stand in solidarity with current and future generations by agreeing on a Pact for the Future and a Declaration for Future Generations.
“We recognize that the well-being of current and future generations and the sustainability of our planet rests on our willingness to take action.”
“Recognizing that the decisions, actions, and inactions of present generations, have an intergenerational multiplier effect” we resolve “to ensure that present generations act with responsibility towards safeguarding the needs and interests of future generations.”
— Declaration for Future Generations
Gen Squeeze will be at the UN to remind global delegates and civil society leaders that systemic generational unfairness is baked into many contemporary public policies, and must be recognized alongside UN commitments to end sexism, racism and colonialism. We’ll draw attention to the need for action to begin today, on behalf of younger people struggling to cope with financial precarity, climate anxiety, and declining prospects. Urgent action now is what will set us on a path to uphold our responsibility to be good ancestor to generations to come.
The Summit is a strong signal that growing risks to the health, social and economic wellbeing of younger and future generations have become a shared global challenge. The scale of international engagement makes clear that generational fairness isn’t a tactic for any one political ideology or party. It’s a goal that spans diverse national, cultural and geographic contexts.
Canadians should be proud that our country has recently acknowledged the challenge of generational fairness, shining a light on the fact that hard work no longer pays off for younger people today the way it did for previous generations. That’s something we should celebrate at the Summit – and urge other nations to follow suit.
Ottawa’s Fairness for Every Generation budget has put generational tensions at the forefront of Canada’s national policy agenda. This landmark move shouldn’t be dismissed as mere rhetoric. Until now, failing to recognize the generational inequality at the heart of housing unaffordability, financial insecurity, rising public debts, and escalating climate risks and costs, has held up the design of effective solutions. On this foundation, there’s hope for real solutions — and we’ll be holding this government (and future governments) to account for delivering on them.
That’s why we’re calling on the federal government to enshrine a commitment to generational fairness in legislation. An Act to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Present and Future Generations will ensure Canada follows through for the short- and long-term on investing in wellbeing for all ages, from the early years onwards.
Please join us in bringing this message to our political leaders. And follow us at the Summit on socials, alongside other Canadian civil society leaders from groups like Canada 2030, CAN-Rac, and the McGill Youth Advisory Delegation.