Siddharth Chatterjee explained why today’s multilateral system faces unprecedented strain and outlined the UN’s “Summit of the Future” and the resulting “Pact for the Future” as a compass for renewal. He described working with the Government of China to convene pre-summits along five key tracks and highlighted China’s achievements in poverty reduction. On Security Council reform, he stressed that meaningful change must include addressing the veto and ensuring equal authority for any new members. Finally, he framed Japan–Republic of Korea–China cooperation as a regional fulcrum, pointing to shared challenges—aging populations, public health, climate change—as realistic avenues for collaboration, and encouraged Japan to exercise leadership grounded in its history and global contributions.
Reporter: Koki Imon
For more details of this meeting, please see here.
Full Statement (English Translation)
(1) Opening remarks; Summit of the Future and the Pact for the Future
“Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members of the Diet, Under-Secretary-General Marwala, colleagues from UN entities, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
Let me begin on a somber note. Since the end of the Second World War, there has never been a time when the entire edifice of multilateralism has come under such intense pressure. Multiple threats are converging, leading to unprecedented movements and displacement of people.
Since 1945, humanity has made remarkable strides—reducing poverty and resolving conflicts—yet today those gains are wavering and trust in international cooperation is at its lowest. This is precisely why Secretary-General António Guterres proposed the Summit of the Future: out of a concern that the UN system is not fully responsive to contemporary challenges—that it remains stuck in a 1945 framework.
The Summit focuses on five areas:
(1) global governance;
(2) peace and security;
(3) accelerating the SDGs;
(4) science, technology and AI; and
(5) youth and future generations.
The Pact for the Future distilled from these themes is the North Star to renew multilateralism.
With that overview, let me turn to my work in China. As the UN development system’s coordinator, I worked with the Government of China in 2024 to organize eight pre-summits mapped to the five themes. The Government of China places great importance on reviving multilateralism.
In March this year, an international symposium on the Pact for the Future was held in Beijing. I have lived in Beijing for five years and visited 17–18 provinces. In 1979, China’s GDP per capita was 180 dollars and around 90 percent of the population lived in extreme poverty. Today, about 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty and absolute domestic poverty has been eradicated—an achievement unparalleled in human history.
China has only 9 percent of the world’s arable land yet feeds one-fifth of the world’s population; Africa, with roughly 60 percent of arable land, imports about 300 billion dollars in food annually—an instructive contrast.
This transformation at a scale of 1.4 billion people rests on three factors: political will, sound public policy, and strong partnerships.
(2) Security Council reform
“As you know, the P5 agree on only one thing: they will not give up their power. This is evident from the fact that they decide who will be the next Secretary-General.
Therefore, the only way to achieve Security Council reform is to build momentum—have the General Assembly and Member States, in a multipolar world, start calling for greater representation on the Council.
We must not exclude the veto from discussions. Even if we expand the Council to 20 seats, if five countries still hold the veto, that is not a substantive reform.
Real reform means that all newly added members have equal authority with the existing permanent members. That is the only way to achieve the objective of reform.”
(3) Japan’s role, trilateral cooperation, and shared challenges
“Japan has a historic legacy deeply intertwined with the United Nations and understands the tragic consequences of war—we know what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is why I believe Japan is uniquely placed to speak for peace.
I served 12 years in the military, five and a half of those in combat, and I appreciate the value of peace.
Japan’s position is pivotal in the Asia–Pacific and beyond. In Japan–Republic of Korea–China relations, Japan can play a key role in rebuilding ties. Even amid differences, we must find common ground.
Such common ground exists—in addressing aging societies, public health, and climate change. These are areas for trilateral cooperation that can deepen mutual understanding and help regenerate the region. Living in China, I see such cooperation emerging in practical ways.
We need to advance political-level dialogue and strengthen Track 2 and Track 3 dialogues. I am Indian, and India–China relations are not always smooth diplomatically; yet China has accepted me as the UN Resident Coordinator in China.”
(4) Message to a young Diet member; regional leadership
“Your remarks give me great hope. I salute you for serving as a young Diet member.
I sincerely hope that in a few years you will be in a position to lead this country, because what the world needs is a new generation of leaders with new ideas. Your generation is more connected to the world than any before and has the power to build peace. While my generation tends to be set in its ways, yours is different—your flexible mindset, shaped by backpacking through 80 countries, symbolizes Japan’s future leadership. Your generation can bring new hope to multilateralism.
As I said, Japan, the ROK, and China can serve as a regional fulcrum, with their cooperation giving velocity to rebuilding relations, including between ASEAN and China and between China and India. The potential is immense.
What is lacking globally is leadership; hence we need the rise of regional leadership. We live in an era of multipolarity—that is now irreversible. The question is how to make multilateralism work in a multipolar world. For that, leadership by Member States is indispensable.””