The evolution of social progress

Thirty years ago, the first World Social Summit in Copenhagen dared to imagine a future where dignity wasn’t a privilege, and opportunity didn’t depend on luck. That vision remains just as urgent today, but the world confronting it is far more complicated. As we approach the second summit in Doha, it’s time to reflect, recognize the challenges, and seize the opportunity to deliver on promises made three decades ago.

Remarkable progress has undoubtedly been made. In the past decade, millions have gained access to electricity, clean cooking, and the internet. Social protection now reaches more than half the world’s population. These achievements stem from deliberate choices, robust institutions, and bold, nation-led and multilateral investments in development.

Yet, new threats loom large. Conflict, climate disasters, and rising inequality are undermining global stability. Despite unprecedented global wealth and technological advancements, over 1.1 billion people still live in multidimensional poverty. Nearly 80 percent of them face direct exposure to climate hazards—extreme heat, flooding, drought, or air pollution—according to a recent report from UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Each statistic reflects a life shaped by interconnected crises, a web of hardship threatening to trap new generations for decades to come.

This November, as world leaders gather for the second summit, we must recognize the urgency of the moment. Today’s poverty is inseparable from climate change, technological upheaval and conflicts that ripple across continents. Social integration efforts are being tested by rising polarization, discrimination and a deluge of misinformation and hate speech that threaten our collective fabric.

Despite these challenges, we have clear evidence of what works. UNDP’s partnership with Qatar, this year’s summit host, is generating real, life-changing impact. In Sudan, 5,600 young people secured jobs and nearly 10,000 farmers received support amid food insecurity affecting 24.6 million people. In Uzbekistan, climate education is being embedded into all secondary schools, helping 1.3 million students and 50,000 teachers prepare for a greener future. Even in Gaza, where over 90 percent of schools are damaged or destroyed due to the war, collaboration is ensuring the continuity of education for 90,000 high school students. Through dedicated support, including 100 digital learning spaces with dependable internet and steady power supplies, students can complete their General Secondary Examinations (Tawjihi) electronically despite the ongoing crisis. The Tawjihi exams, which mark the transition to higher education, are a crucial milestone in Palestine, paving the way for future careers.

These successes are not isolated. They show what is possible when investments are designed to restore education, protect the environment, expand livelihoods, and strengthen communities. Qatar’s backing of UNDP’s Accelerator Labs in 114 countries since 2019 is also proof that innovation fuels development results. The labs have sourced and amplified almost 7,000 grassroots solutions, half from Africa, advancing small farmer food systems, innovating in fragile contexts and driving experimentation for SDG achievement. In India, digital platforms help farmers adapt to climate shocks; in Sudan and South Sudan, new financial tools extend services to previously excluded populations.

These efforts provide a vital blueprint, but to truly advance social justice, equality, and inclusion worldwide, we must rapidly scale up. Unfortunately, at a time when resources for development are most urgently needed, they are instead drying up. However, it’s not the lack of resources that holds us back, but a lack of collective ambition to align them for the common good. Less than 1 percent of global wealth—over US$430 trillion—could fill the $4.3 trillion annual gap needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The summit presents a unique opportunity to address this challenge. To move beyond piecemeal, short-term interventions and instead invest in practical, scalable solutions that can turn bold promises into real progress.

Achieving this vision demands renewed commitment to multilateralism and cross-regional collaboration. The recent announcement of a partnership between Qatar and Saudi Arabia to channel $89 million through UNDP to support Syria’s essential public services stands as a powerful model for the trust and joint action the world desperately needs. This is the kind of transformative partnership that can save lives and sustain hope for those who need it most.

The principles that guided the first World Social Summit—inclusion, dignity, and opportunity—must remain our benchmarks, not just our history. The world has changed; our solutions must change with it. We need bold, integrated strategies powered by enduring, multilateral cooperation. This is not merely a question of wealth; it is a question of will. Only then will the promise made thirty years ago finally become reality.

Source: UNDP