The U.N. General Assembly has approved a blueprint to bring the world’s increasingly divided nations together to tackle 21st-century challenges.

The pact is meant to link nations in tackling challenges ranging from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty — and improve the lives of the world’s more than 8 billion people.

Our world is going through a time and turbulence and the period of transition, but we cannot wait for perfect conditions. We must take the first decisive steps towards updating and reforming international cooperation,