Doha: World Summit opens with pledge to speed social progress

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The Second World Summit for Social Development opened in Doha on Tuesday with the adoption of the Doha Political Declaration – a consensus pledge to accelerate action on poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion, and to put the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.

Three decades after a landmark summit in Copenhagen, leaders in the Qatari capital warned that inequality remains high, climate shocks are intensifying, and nearly two billion people still lack social protection, pushing the world off course for the 2030 deadline.

Renewed commitment

The Doha Declaration renews and updates the 1995 Copenhagen commitments, calling for:

•    Treating poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion as interconnected priorities.
•    Expanding universal, gender-responsive social protection, and equitable access to health and education.
•    Advancing safe, inclusive digital transformation while countering disinformation and hate speech.
•    Ensuring youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized groups meaningfully shape policies that affect their lives.

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Voices of urgency and unity

Secretary-General António Guterres called the declaration a “booster shot for development,” urging a “people’s plan” to reduce inequality, create decent work, reform global finance and rebuild unity. “This summit is about hope through collective action…let’s deliver the bold people’s plan humanity needs and deserves.”

Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, urged leaders to “go the last mile,” warning that economic growth alone has not ended poverty. She named climate change as the “single largest obstacle” to social development and called for debt relief, fairer trade, broader technology access and full participation of women.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said social development is an “existential necessity,” pointing to national efforts to expand opportunity and international support for poverty reduction. He said peace and stability – including support for Palestine and an end to the crisis in Sudan – are essential conditions for social progress.

Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of ECOSOC, noted that more than 800 million people still live in extreme poverty and that even small shocks – illness, job loss or climate disasters – can push millions more into hardship.

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Turning consensus into implementation

The opening panel, “Strengthening the Three Pillars of Social Development,” chaired by leaders from Montenegro and Kyrgyzstan and moderated by ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo, focused on turning commitments into action.

Juan Somavia, who chaired the 1995 summit, praised the declaration but stressed urgency: “We are very good at being ambitious, less so at how to implement.”

Netherlands Minister Mariëlle Paul underscored that jobs must be decent to lift people from poverty.

ITUC’s Luc Triangle called for fair taxation and global tax cooperation to fund social development and equip workers for digital and green transitions.

Oxfam’s Amitabh Behar highlighted rising inequality and urged taxing the super-rich and reinvesting in public services.

Esther Nagtey, representing youth with disabilities, stressed meaningful participation: “We are not the leaders of tomorrow – we are the changemakers of today.”

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The road ahead

The Doha declaration sets a shared plan; leaders say delivery now hinges on financing, political will and coordinated implementation – moving from pledges to policies that reach people.

Stay tuned for Wednesday: Plenary statements, civil society forum, united for social justice, and roundtable reviewing progress and driving action.