Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development - by UNECLAC | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

01 April 2025

The Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025 represents a unique milestone for stakeholders to come together to jointly analyze the road travelled, analyze the present and make decisions that will make a future with less inequality and greater social mobility and cohesion feasible. Three decades later, it is essential to place the region's hopes and experiences at the center of the debate.

Background

The 1995 World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen, was a milestone in the international social development agenda. At the Summit, governments adopted the Copenhagen Declaration and its Program of Action, focusing development on people and making key commitments. Among the main agreements were the eradication of poverty, the promotion of full and productive employment, and the promotion of social integration. Ten commitments for action were defined, covering gender equality, universal access to education and health, international cooperation and the strengthening of the institutional framework. It was emphasized that social development is a multisectoral process, inseparable from the political, economic and cultural spheres. This event consolidated the importance of integrated policies to achieve sustainable and inclusive development at the global level, establishing the basis for future international initiatives and commitments.

Thirty years after the 1995 Summit, the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held in 2025, seeks to evaluate the progress achieved and define new strategies to address current challenges. Problems such as poverty, inequality and social exclusion persist in a context of global crises and accelerated change.This summit will be a key opportunity to strengthen commitments and promote policies that guarantee greater social cohesion and economic mobility.Latin America and the Caribbean, with a long history in the debate on social development, will present proposals to reduce inequality and improve social inclusion.The summit will also serve as a platform to consolidate a common perspective to strengthen governance, international cooperation and the role of civil society in the implementation of effective policies for sustainable development.