DSPD organized an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on “Strengthening Social Development in the Contemporary World” in New York at United Nations Headquarters from 19 to 20 May 2015. The EGM was convened in the context of the Economic and Social Council resolution 2014/3 and in preparation for the 54th session of the Commission for Social Development, which will take place in February 2016, and which should agree on a policy outcome (that is, a resolution) on this priority theme.

The outcomes of the meeting contributed to the work of the Commission by providing concrete, evidence-based recommendations for promoting and strengthening social development and for improving the formulation and implementation of policy frameworks that affect social progress.

The meeting suggested topics that the Commission may want to consider in the years ahead, within its mandate. Within the framework of the new post-2015 global development agenda, which will be adopted in September 2015, the outcomes of the meeting took into consideration how the agenda’s implementation can best promote social justice and inclusion.