World Social Report 2024
Social Development in Times of Converging Crises: A Call for Global Action
Multiple converging crises, including climate change, growing conflicts and rising health pandemics are undermining efforts to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities around the world. They are hitting the most vulnerable people and societies the hardest. The already disappointing progress on social development is at risk of being held back further by the fiscal burden of responding to crises.
Confluent crises – the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and escalating climate change impacts – serves as a critical wake-up call for global action. The World Social Report 2024 calls for global cooperation to promote a human rights-based approach to social protection, ensuring continuity during times of crisis and well-regulated insurance markets with expanded coverage tailored to meet the diverse needs of vulnerable populations. Placing people at the center of development, it underlines the importance of accelerating climate change mitigation, ensuring global financial stability, and preventing pandemics and spillovers of violent conflicts.
Full report
Executive Summary
Watch video
Press Briefing, 17 October 2024, 12:45 pm EDT
Featuring:
Shantanu Mukherjee, Director, Economic Analysis and Policy Division, UN DESA
Wenyan Yang, Chief, Global Dialogue for Social Development Branch, Division for Inclusive Social Development, UN DESA
New Pathways to End Poverty Amid Converging Crises: A UN DESA Global Policy Dialogue, 17 October 2024 
Discussion 1: Overcoming the effects of converging global crises on poverty
Speakers:
• Mr. Shantanu Mukherjee, Director, Economic Analysis and Policy Division, UN DESA
• Ms. Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and member of the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs
• Ms. Shahra Razavi, Director of the Universal Social Protection Department, International Labour Organization
Discussion 2: New pathways for ending social and institutional maltreatment related to poverty
Speakers:
• Ms. Nancy Santos, Assistant Director, Project Access
• Ms. Maryann Broxton, Main Representative to the United Nations, ATD Fourth World
Special Briefing to ECOSOC: World Social Report 2024, 31 July 2024
In a special briefing to Member States on 31 July 2024, 10:00 am to 11:00 am EST at the ECOSOC Chamber, UN DESA presented the key messages and recommendations of the World Social Report 2024: Social Development in Times of Converging Crises: A Call for Global Action. Since the First World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995, progress has been made across the world in realizing social development objectives such as poverty eradication, full employment, and inclusion. However, many gaps and challenges remained, even as recently as five years back. Today, amid a confluence of shocks and crises, less than a fifth of the SDG targets are on track, with nearly a half showing insufficient progress, and over a third that are stalled or in reversal. This serves as a wake-up call, signaling the need for extensive changes along different fronts to achieve social development. While national-level efforts for achieving social goals remain vital, they must be complemented by international support and global actions. Such joint actions can greatly reduce the impact of recurrent crises on social development and preserve valuable resources for its further advancement.
HLPF Side Event: Global Action for Social Development amidst Converging Crises, 10 July 2024
This side event, held during the High-Level Political Forum, was organized by the Economic Analysis and Policy Division in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Samoa to the United Nations. The event brought together high-level representatives and experts from Member States, international organizations, academia, NGOs and civil society to discuss the key messages of the forthcoming World Social Report 2024, which examines the impact of converging crises on social development and calls for global action.
Expert Group Meeting, April 2023
Background Papers
- Anticipatory governance responses to the challenges of systemic risk
- Monetary Policy and SDGs
- Crisis as a trend and the achievement of the SDGs
Follow Us