The Second World Summit for Social Development opened in Doha on Tuesday with the adoption of the Doha Political Declaration - a consensus pledge to accelerate action on poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion, and to put the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.
Nearly three decades after the Copenhagen Social Summit, leaders warned that inequality remains high, climate shocks are intensifying, and nearly two billion people still lack social protection, pushing the world off course for the 2030 deadline.
A renewed commitment
The Doha Declaration renews and updates the 1995 commitments, calling for:
• Treating poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion as interconnected priorities.
• Expanding universal, gender-responsive social protection, and equitable access to health and education.
• Advancing safe, inclusive digital transformation while countering disinformation and hate speech.
• Ensuring youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized groups meaningfully shape policies that affect their lives.
