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New Release: Food for Thought Paper
The Food for Thought Paper for the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) is now available! This key document outlines the substantive elements shaping the Political Declaration, highlighting critical priorities such as poverty eradication, decent work, social inclusion, digital transformation and climate resilience. It serves as a basis for the zero draft political declaration that will be the main outcome of the Summit, ensuring a bold and action-oriented agenda for global social development.
📖 Read the full paper here.
What is the World Social Summit 2025?
On February 26, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 78/261, officially establishing the "World Social Summit" under the title "Second World Summit for Social Development." At the request of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Philippe Kridelka, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations, have been appointed as co-facilitators of the intergovernmental preparatory process leading up to the Summit, consisting of its modalities and outcome.
The World Social Summit 2025, officially titled the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), is a significant global event aimed at fostering inclusive social development and addressing key challenges to achieve well-being for all. It serves as a platform for governments, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to collaborate on creating policies and strategies that promote inclusivity, equity, and sustainability.
The Summit builds on the legacy of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, which emphasized commitments to social inclusion, eradicating poverty, and achieving full productive employment and decent work, aligning with modern challenges and aspirations for inclusive well-being for all.
The Summit will take place from 4 to 6 November 2025 in Doha, Qatar at the level of Heads of State or Government. Its primary objective is to advance social development globally and provide renewed momentum for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Co-Facilitators for the intergovernmental negotiations leading up to the Summit
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Ambassador H.E. Ms. Sophie DE SMEDT | Ambassador H.E. Mr. Omar Hilale |
Preparations on the first part of the roadmap of the negotiations
- A Food for Thought paper will be prepared before the circulation of the Zero Draft.
- The deadline for Member States’ contributions has been extended to Monday, 18 February 2025 (Close of Business).
- All Permanent Missions are encouraged to submit their contributions to the Food for Thought paper via @email and @email by the above-mentioned deadline.
- Contributions should focus on the main substantive elements of the Political Declaration and the structure of the text.
- The Food for Thought paper will be shared during the first week of March 2025.
- An informal consultation on the Food for Thought paper will be held on Friday, 28 March 2025.
- A detailed roadmap outlining the timeline for the Zero Draft of the Political Declaration and informal consultations will be provided in early April 2025. The process aims to finalize negotiations by early July 2025.
The Road to the 2025 Second World Summit for Social Development - PDF version
The Road from Copenhagen to Doha
The 1995 World Summit for Social Development was a milestone in multilateral cooperation, establishing a vision of people-centred development and a global commitment to social development that resonates with us today.
In the decades that followed, humankind achieved unprecedented social progress. Yet, our journey of rapid development and the novel challenges of our fast-changing world have left many people and countries behind. Deep inequalities and extreme poverty persist, decent work is in short supply and a climate crisis looms. Throughout the world, people are feeling increasingly insecure and uncertain about the future.
We are at an inflection point. Insecurity about the future and mistrust of institutions are on the rise, eroding the social fabric and hindering our ability to act collectively to achieve common goals. The root causes of these failures transcend borders and demand collective action. It is time to respond by shaping a socially sustainable development path towards a better future, with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development as our guiding lights.
On the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Member States pledged to strengthen global governance for present and future generations. They requested that the Secretary-General report recommendations to respond to current and future challenges. The Secretary-General responded with his report, Our Common Agenda, a wake-up call to speed up the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and propel the commitments of the UN75 Declaration forward. In some cases, the proposals addressed gaps that have emerged since 2015 that require intergovernmental agreements. Among these, the report proposed that consideration should be given to holding a World Social Summit in 2025.
Celebrating 30 years of Championing Social Inclusion – Copenhagen+30
The Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and its Programme of Action have guided multilateral action on social development since 1995. Adopted at the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) in Copenhagen on 12 March 1995, the Declaration emphasized the eradication of poverty as an ethical, social, political and economic imperative. The Declaration represented a unique consensus on three key objectives of social development, namely, eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive employment, and fostering social inclusion, and set out a holistic approach to achieve them. It aspired to “place people at the centre of development by ensuring full participation by all”.
“This would be an opportunity to hold a different form of global deliberation and to live up to the values, including trust and listening, that underpin the social contract. The Summit outcome could be an update of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, covering issues such as universal social protection floors, including universal health coverage, adequate housing, education for all and decent work, and give momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,”
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General
Recent and Upcoming Intergovernmental Meetings
- SDG Summit 2023
- 78th General Assembly - Third Committee
- Special Meeting of ECOSOC on the Future of Work
- 62nd Commission for Social Development - CSocD62 on "Fostering social development and social justice through social policies to accelerate progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the overarching goal of poverty eradication".
- 2024 High-level Political Forum on "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions"
- 2024 Summit of the Future - Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations
- 2025 High-level Political Forum on “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind”
- 79th General Assembly - Third Committee on the "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly"
- 63rd session of the Commission for Social Development - CSocD63 on "Strengthening solidarity, social inclusion and social cohesion to accelerate the delivery of the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development as well as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"
- Second World Summit for Social Development, 4-6 November 2025 in Qatar
