7 things you should know about accelerating social progress

As the world prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development in November in Qatar, momentum is building to accelerate social progress. The need to put people at the center of development has never been more urgent. Inequality, exclusion, insecurity, and mistrust in institutions are rising, but so too is global demand to build a more inclusive and resilient future. Here are seven things you should know about accelerating social progress:

1. It’s about people, not just policies

Social progress means ensuring that everyone, across generations, regions, and communities, can live with dignity, opportunity, and security. It is driven by investments in education, decent work, health, housing, and social protection.

2. Social development is a catalyst

Inclusive societies are safer, stronger, and more stable. With well-designed social policies, communities can navigate crucial transitions, digital, demographic, and ecological, fairly and effectively. Partnerships with think tanks and academia provide the research and evidence needed for effective, people-centred policy.

3. Social progress and a healthy planet go hand in hand

A just green transition must put people and the planet first, lifting communities while safeguarding ecosystems. Social progress cannot come at the cost of our environment; rather, it is about creating sustainable futures for all.

4. Social progress is not automatic

Left unattended, inequalities deepen. Advancing social progress requires deliberate choices: inclusive policies, strong institutions, and collective action. Governments, civil society, the private sector, and individuals all share responsibility to break cycles of poverty and exclusion.

5. Digital transformation must advance inclusion

The digital revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping societies. To accelerate progress, these innovations must go hand-in-hand with trust, ethics, and universal access, ensuring that technology empowers rather than excludes.

6. The 2030 Agenda is at stake
Poverty eradication, full employment and decent work, and social integration — the three pillars of the Summit — are also central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accelerating social progress is essential to rescuing the 2030 Agenda.

7. Everyone has a voice
The UN’s global campaign, Accelerating Social Progress, invites people everywhere to share what social progress means to them. From young innovators to older persons, from workers to caregivers, these voices are shaping the vision of a more inclusive world.

The Summit in Doha will be a historic moment to recommit to people-centred multilateralism and chart a path toward a fairer, more secure, and more sustainable future.

Share your voice here by 8 September 2025 on what social progress means to you.

Learn more and join the conversation here: Second World Summit for Social Development. 

Source: UN DESA Voice