Highlights and images for 4 November 2025

At the opening of the Second World Summit for Social Development on Tuesday, world leaders adopted the Doha Political Declaration, which reaffirms their commitment to building a more just, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world by addressing social challenges such as poverty, unemployment and exclusion. 

Opening the Summit, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock called for holistic strategies to tackle multidimensional challenges that hinder progress in social development, highlighting the climate crisis as the single largest obstacle to social development.  

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a peoples’ plan that accelerates the fight against poverty and inequality, and underlined that the clean energy revolution can cut emissions while growing economies. He called on nations to reach, during the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém in November 2025, a credible agreement to achieve the goal of mobilizing USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for developing countries.

Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, urged nations to honor their commitments under the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the newly-adopted Doha Political Declaration, and turn them into tangible action by addressing implementation gaps. Underlining that social development cannot be achieved without lasting peace and security, he called for an end to the violence in Palestine and Sudan.

Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), warned  that distrust fueled by misinformation and disinformation is fracturing social cohesion and undermining progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He called for renewed cooperation among nations, inclusive development, and respect for the dignity of every person, noting addressing these issues is at the heart of ECOSOC’s mandate.

Heads of State and Government then took the floor to reaffirm their commitment to eradicating poverty, promoting full employment, and fostering social integration, underlining these pillars as essential for building equitable societies.

Delegates also gathered in a high-level roundtable on “Strengthening the three pillars of social development: poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion.” Co-chaired by Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro, and Edil Baisalov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Kyrgyzstan, panelists highlighted the need for a systemic approach, social dialogue, and whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches.

In his keynote speech, Juan Somavía, former Permanent Representative of Chile to the UN and Chair of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development Preparatory Committee and Main Committee, said the Doha Political Declaration is a sign of hope set against the geopolitical context of today. He lamented that results are still a far-off prospect, calling for course corrections at all levels.

Mariëlle Paul, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, the Netherlands, said decent work is the best way out of poverty and to increase social inclusion. Abdeljabbar Er-Rachidi, Secretary of State to the Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, Morocco, outlined national experiences and initiatives to achieve poverty eradication, decent work, and social inclusion.

Diana Pokie, Minister of Social Affairs and Housing, Suriname, stressed that no policy can succeed without adequate government investment and allocation of financial resources. Luc Triangle, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said the political declaration is a decisive win for workers, and called for a strong commitment to make it a strategic advocacy tool for social improvement.

Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, Oxfam International, highlighted ways to reduce inequality, including by taxing the super rich and large corporations, and stopping privatization of public services. Esther Nagetey, Youth Fellow, International Disability Alliance (IDA), noted persistent gaps in social development goals’ achievement for those with disabilities.