World Summit for Social Development - WSSD

➡️ The Second World Summit for Social Development - 4 - 6 November 2025 Doha, Qatar (WSSD2) 

Building on the legacy of the first summit held in Copenhagen in 1995, the primary goal of the WSSD2 is to advance global social development and bolster renewed momentum for the 2030 Agenda set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Past halfway to the deadline, the recent UN Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report revealed that we are on track to meet only 12% of targets by 2030. Progress on 50% of the targets is weak, and 30% have either stalled or actually gotten worse.

Recognising that there is still much work to be done, the WSSD2 provides an opportunity to reassess challenges and recommit to inclusivity, equity, and sustainability. The first summit brought together 186 countries and was a landmark moment in global efforts to address critical social challenges such as poverty, unemployment, public health, and social exclusion.

Its ambitious agenda concluded with the adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, which outlined several targets and initiatives, and became a foundation for future policies worldwide. Although the summit was, at the time, a historic moment for global progress, many of the hopes and expectations of the declaration were not realised.

More than 30 years have passed since the first summit, a lack of urgency and budget has left the WSSD2 long overdue as the United Nations attention has been diverted to Climate and Biodiversity summits (COP Conferences), of which there have been many.

This summit is an essential part of the United Nations' work in an area which has been overlooked for too long. Organised by civil society organisations, the World Social Forum is the only other event which addresses the planet's social needs and alternative visions of globalisation.

This year's summit will be co-facilitated by Philippe Kridelka, the permanent representative of Belgium to the United Nations and Omar Hilale, the permanent representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations. With mounting global tensions and spiralling humanitarian crises worldwide, this conference must go beyond other United Nations summits.

Increasing militarisation of the world, decreased effectiveness of multilateralism, widening inequalities, the potential for future pandemics, and a right-wing shift of many influential nations has led to the redirection of vital resources away from great societal needs. Instead of ensuring the well-being of society, money is syphoned into the production of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear programmes, the maintaining of military bases, and the promotion and justification of wars around the world.

The WSSD2 will focus on the following Sustainable Development Goals in order to promote social development worldwide -

• Goal 1: No Poverty - Eradicating poverty in all its forms everywhere.

• Goal 2: Zero Hunger - Ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

• Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being - Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for everyone.

• Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

• Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

• Goal 13: Climate Action - Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

• Goal 14: Life Below Water - Conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

• Goal 15: Life on Land - Protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, managing forests sustainably, combating desertification, and halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss.

Integral to the summit's agenda is the strengthening of global partnerships for sustainable development. Promoting effective policies, fostering international cooperation, concrete proposals, and effective monitoring are essential.

Author: Rachael Mellor 03.02.25 licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

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