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Doha Political Declaration: Renewed Commitment to Social Progress and Development
The Doha Political Declaration to be formally adopted by the Second World Summit for Social Development, has been agreed by consensus through an intergovernmental negotiating process that took place at the United Nations in New York. The Declaration marks a pivotal moment in the global effort to accelerate social progress, eradicate poverty, and build more inclusive, just, and sustainable societies. The Declaration reaffirms the commitments made in Copenhagen thirty years ago while aligning them with today’s challenges and the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
A Call for Renewed Action
The Declaration opens with a strong recommitment to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action. It highlights three interlinked priorities—poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social integration—as essential to achieving sustainable development. Leaders emphasize that social justice and development are inseparable from peace, security, and the respect for human rights.
Key Achievements and Gaps
The Declaration recognizes significant global progress since 1995: reductions in extreme poverty, improved access to education, health, and social protection, and historically low unemployment rates. However, it underscores that progress has been uneven, with persistent inequalities, gender gaps, widespread informality in work, digital divides, and mounting humanitarian crises reversing hard-won gains.
Commitments
The Declaration strengthens commitments in several critical areas:
- Poverty Eradication: Adoption of holistic strategies addressing multidimensional poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, with emphasis on resilience, financing, and social protection systems.
- Decent Work and Economic Transformation: Promotion of macroeconomic policies for job creation, formalization of informal work, skills development (including for AI transitions), and gender-responsive employment strategies.
- Social Integration: Building cohesive, inclusive societies by addressing discrimination, fostering intergenerational solidarity, tackling homelessness, and empowering marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and older persons.
- Food Security and Health: Scaling up resilient food systems, universal access to health care, mental health services, and pandemic preparedness.
- Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence: Closing digital divides, ensuring equitable access to technologies, and safeguarding human rights in the digital era.
- Climate and Resilience: Integrating adaptive social protection with climate and disaster risk reduction, aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework.
- Gender Equality: Removing barriers to women’s full participation in society, reducing unpaid care work burdens, and tackling gender-based violence and discrimination.
- Financing Social Development: Advancing the Sevilla Commitment to close financing gaps, reform international financial architecture, strengthen tax cooperation, and uphold ODA targets.
Way Forward
The Declaration establishes a follow-up process, including a high-level review in 2031, by the General Assembly. It mandates the Commission for Social Development to serve as the main follow-up body and calls on regional commissions, UN entities, and financial institutions to strengthen coherence, coordination, and partnerships. Civil society, social partners, youth, academia, and the private sector are recognized as indispensable actors for implementation.
A Vision for the Future
The Political Declaration concludes with a shared vision of a world free from poverty, hunger, and discrimination. It calls for a future defined by equity, solidarity, and dignity for all. More than a recommitment, it represents a renewed determination to transform global pledges into tangible action.
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