Second World Summit for Social Development 2025 | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

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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.

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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 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).

Key Highlights

Political Declaration:
- The Summit will adopt a concise and action-oriented political declaration.
- This declaration will be agreed upon in advance through intergovernmental negotiations and will emphasize social development.
Preparations:
- Intergovernmental negotiations, co-facilitated by the Permanent Representatives of Morocco and Belgium, began in 2024.
- Stakeholders, including NGOs, civil society organizations, and social groups, are actively engaged in the preparatory process to ensure inclusivity and transparency.
Focus:
- Social development is at the core, aiming to address contemporary global challenges and opportunities.
- The outcomes will serve to strengthen international cooperation and accelerate efforts towards sustainable, inclusive development.

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.

UN SG “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

Roadmap of the negotiations of the Political Declaration

On December 3, 2024, the Co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process for the upcoming World Social Summit 2025, officially titled the Second World Summit for Social Development, shared a comprehensive roadmap to guide preparations for the Summit. This letter was addressed to the President of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Philemon Yang.

The Co-facilitators emphasized their commitment to an inclusive and transparent process aimed at producing a concise, action-oriented political declaration to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They reaffirmed the importance of meaningful engagement from all stakeholders in shaping the Summit's outcomes.

Key Milestones in the Roadmap

Food for Thought Paper: Delegations are invited to contribute inputs for the paper by February 7, 2025. These inputs should focus on the key substantive elements and structure of the Political Declaration.
Circulation of Food for Thought Paper: The draft will be shared by February 21, 2025, to provide an initial framework for deliberations.
Consultations on the Paper: An informal consultation will be held in early March 2025, allowing stakeholders to discuss and refine the ideas presented.
Zero Draft Presentation: The initial draft of the Political Declaration will be unveiled by the end of March 2025.
Informal Consultations on the Zero Draft: Scheduled from mid-April to early July 2025, these discussions aim to finalize the declaration through consensus.

The Co-facilitators, Ambassadors Philippe Kridelka and Omar Hilale, highlighted their dedication to ensuring that this process inspires and accelerates global efforts for social development. This roadmap provides Member States with clear timelines and actionable steps to prepare for the historic World Social Summit in 2025.

Informal Briefing for Stakeholders on the Second World Social Summit, 25 November 2024

An informal briefing for stakeholders was convened on 25 November 2024 by H.E. Omar Hilale and H.E. Philippe Kridelka, the co-facilitators of the preparatory process for the Second World Summit for Social Development. It provided the first opportunity to hear from various stakeholders their views and expectations for the Summit. Over 100 representatives from civil society, UN entities and Member States attended in person, along with many viewers on webcast. Following brief introductory remarks by the co-facilitators, 18 NGOs and two UN entities made statements.

The Co-facilitators expressed their commitment to full transparency and inclusiveness, and to continuing a dialogue with representatives of non-governmental organizations and social groups. Stakeholders asked for clarity on the timeline and process for stakeholder inputs to the draft outcome document. They shared their initial thoughts on issues that they would like to see reflected in the outcome including: older persons, youth, family, intergenerational solidarity, social and economic justice, social dialogue, investments in decent jobs, equality and inclusion, health and wellbeing.

The briefing is available to watch on UN Web TV: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1c/k1ceozau4l.

UN announces Second World Social Summit in Qatar to advance Social Development

The United Nations General Assembly has decided to convene the World Social Summit under the title, “the Second World Summit for Social Development”, in the State of Qatar from 4 to 6 November 2025.

The social summit aims to address gaps and reaffirm the principles outlined in the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action, while also providing momentum toward implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Summit will bring together Heads of State and Government, and its agenda includes plenary meetings, high-level round tables, and the adoption of a concise political declaration agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations in New York.

Preparations for the World Social Summit 2025: Co-Facilitators

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Philemon Yang, formally announced the appointment of H.E. Mr. Philippe Kridelka, Permanent Representative of Belgium, and H.E. Mr. Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco, as co-facilitators for the intergovernmental negotiations leading up to the World Social Summit 2025. This announcement was detailed in a letter dated October 8, 2024.

In line with General Assembly resolution 78/318, adopted on July 16, 2024, the Summit is tasked with adopting a concise, action-oriented political declaration. This declaration aims to reinforce global commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through a focus on social development priorities.

The co-facilitators were entrusted with ensuring an open and transparent negotiation process to secure consensus on the declaration. Their role underscores the importance of collaborative dialogue and stakeholder engagement in shaping outcomes that address pressing social development challenges.

The President expressed gratitude to the co-facilitators for their commitment to this crucial undertaking and called upon all Member States and Observers to extend their support throughout the process. This announcement marks a significant step toward the successful convening of the Second World Summit for Social Development, reinforcing global efforts to build a more inclusive and equitable world.

Resolution to convene the "Second World Summit for Social Development" in 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." Scheduled for 2025, this Summit represents a renewed global commitment to addressing persistent gaps in social development and accelerating progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Reaffirming the Copenhagen Declaration

The resolution recalls the foundational principles of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action, emphasizing poverty eradication, full and productive employment, and social inclusion as interconnected priorities. While acknowledging past achievements, the Assembly expressed concern over the slow and uneven progress in implementing these goals.

Key Objectives of the Summit

The primary purpose of the Summit is to:

Address gaps in the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.
Recommit to the principles of the Copenhagen Declaration while giving fresh momentum to the 2030 Agenda.
Adopt a concise political declaration, agreed upon by consensus, that places social development at the forefront.

Preparatory Framework

The Assembly requested the appointment of two co-facilitators, one from a developed country and one from a developing country, to guide the preparatory process. It also tasked the Secretary-General with providing necessary support to ensure the success of the Summit.

Global Call to Action

This resolution signifies a unified effort to prioritize people-centered development, emphasizing the eradication of poverty, the creation of decent work opportunities, and the integration of marginalized groups into societal progress. The Second World Summit for Social Development will serve as a platform for international leaders to reaffirm their commitment to a more inclusive and equitable future.