The United Nations is set to hold the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025, marking a historic opportunity to reaffirm and reinvigorate global commitments to social progress and inclusion.

Building on the legacy of the groundbreaking 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the 2025 Summit will serve as a high-level platform to address the urgent social challenges of our time, including rising inequality, persistent poverty, and barriers to full social inclusion.

The original Copenhagen Summit brought together leaders from around the world to adopt ten core commitments aimed at creating a people-centered approach to development. Thirty years later, the world faces new and complex crises, including the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, and rapid technological transformation. These challenges have deepened existing inequalities and strained social cohesion across societies.

In this context, the 2025 Summit aims to renew the global social contract—placing human well-being, dignity, and social justice at the heart of development. It will focus on advancing inclusive policies that protect the most vulnerable, uphold human rights, and promote shared prosperity.

The decision to convene the Summit was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22 November 2023 (resolution A/RES/78/232). The resolution calls on governments, UN agencies, civil society, and other stakeholders to engage actively in the preparatory process.

The 2025 gathering will be more than a commemorative event. It is a call to action—to move from commitments to results, and to ensure that no one is left behind in the global push for sustainable development and social justice.

As the world looks toward 2030 and beyond, the Second World Summit for Social Development offers a critical chance to reimagine our shared future—grounded in solidarity, equity, and the promise of a better world for all.

Download the full resolution in all UN six official languages - A/RES/78/261:
English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语

For more information, please visit: https://social.desa.un.org/second-world-summit-for-social-development