Engagement Opportunities in the lead up to WSSD2 2025

The event aims to advance the universal right to culture by convening 194 Member States and key stakeholders to shape the global cultural agenda and to promote equitable, inclusive sustainable development. Recognizing that unequal access to culture is a key component of the multifaceted nature of inequalities, the Conference will aim to reinvigorate policy commitments to cultural rights in view of catalyzing social inclusion processes. Concrete policy commitments by Member States to enhance social inclusion through culture can meaningfully contribute to the WSSD2.

Conference and music concerts towards sustainable development.

The global event brings together 2,000 representatives from 759 biosphere reserves, high-level government representatives, academia, local communities and other network members, and will endorse a new 10-year strategic action plan. Discussions will include thematic areas – such as the integration of conservation and sustainable development that are in alignment with the WSSD2 key themes.

Organise or co-convene side events

The meeting is being programed as moment to analyze a position paper prepared by ECLAC on the evolution of inclusive social development in LAC since Copenhagen and to exchange the preparatory documents of the WSSD2 and complement the views among Social Development Ministries as a contribution to the countries' presentations at the Summit

Side-event

The AI for Good will play a crucial role in shaping the World Social Summit 2025 by leveraging AI to tackle key global challenges, particularly those related to social development.
Modality: Organize joint sessions where AI practitioners and social development experts discuss AI projects targeting social issues.

The WSIS+20 event will significantly contribute to the World Social Summit by focusing on the intersection of digital inclusion, social development, and sustainable progress. Showcase digital tools that can support the tracking, monitoring, and reporting of social development progress.

Organize a side event addressing women’s pathways to social development

Thematic component - Organized by UNESCO, in partnership with the African Union (AU) and the Government of Angola under the theme “Honoring the Past, Valuing Achievements, and Building the Africa We Want,” the Biennale aligns with the African Union’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”

Online expert group meetings have been carried out in the Africa, Asia, LAC regions and Nordic countries reaching over 80 experts to identify regional priorities and perspectives.  A brief for each consultation has been developed and disseminated widely to inform the WSSD consultations. Link to video broadcasts insights shared at the 63rd session of the Commission for Social Development in February 2025.

This event provides a platform for over 1,000 young people to engage in dialogue with Member States and other stakeholders, sharing their perspectives and actions aimed at transforming the world into a fairer, greener, and more sustainable place. The 2025 Forum will be guided by the theme of ECOSOC and the HLPF: "Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring no one is left behind." The Forum will offer opportunities to discuss concrete actions and recommendations related to SDG 3, SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 14, and SDG 17, which will be examined during the HLPF in July 2025. The 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum is convened by the President of ECOSOC and organized by DESA in collaboration with the UN Youth Office, the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD), and co-convened by the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO), with technical input from youth organizations relevant to the Forum’s theme.
On the final day of the Forum, a plenary session will provide youth with a platform to share their views on social development, addressing key social challenges such as poverty, employment, education, and social inclusion. Panelists will be invited to discuss youth-driven solutions and strategies to advance social development. Young panelists will highlight priorities, challenges, and recommendations for shaping global and national social development policies, as well as preparations for the second World Summit for Social Development. This session is organized by DISD-DESA in collaboration with MGCY.

A Thematic Session aims to assess the status of SDG 8 in the Arab region, identify lessons learned from existing initiatives and policies (including innovative solutions and success stories), consider emerging issues and trends, building on the political momentum of the Summit and Pact of the Future towards further progress by 2030.

Organized by ESCWA in collaboration with partner UN agencies and the League of Arab States . The Forum will include a high-level ministerial discussion “On the road to WSSD2”, actionable recommendations for the region will derive from the session