Excellencies,
Distinguished Panelists,
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your engaged participation in this important forum.
UN DESA is proud to be a Member of the Global Coalition for Social Justice. I deeply value the commitment you have shown today.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our co-organizers: the Governments of Qatar, Brazil and Switzerland, as well as the International Labour Organization.
The Doha Political Declaration rightly highlights social justice as both an objective and a means to achieve social development for all. Crucially, it issues a specific call for Member States to support the Global Coalition for Social Justice.
Social justice, decent work, and equal opportunities are indispensable for sustainable development. The Doha Political Declaration underscores the interconnectedness of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions, and calls for stronger multilateral and multi-stakeholder engagement.
Excellencies,
In today’s world, these calls are more urgent than ever. The challenges are sobering:
- Around 60 per cent of the global population faces economic insecurity
- More than 690 million people still live in extreme poverty
- Over 2.8 billion people live on $2.15 to $6.85 US dollars per day, making them highly vulnerable to shocks.
- Since 1990, countries with rising income inequality are home to two-thirds of the world’s population.
While the need for a reset is clear, we are not starting from scratch.
We must build on the extraordinary progress made since Copenhagen. We must continue to reduce extreme poverty, improve living standards and enhance access to services.
To succeed, we must place the “social” dimension of development at the heart of economic and environmental strategies.
The Global Coalition for Social Justice can serve as the engine to translate the guidance of the Doha Political Declaration into tangible actions. Allow me to highlight four key points that will guide our work:
First, the Declaration calls for a holistic approach to eradicating poverty in all its forms, addressing inequality, and building resilience through investments in social protection systems, quality education, and food security.
Second, Member States have committed to focus on critical enablers of social progress, inclusive growth, decent work, and macroeconomic policies that promote living wages. The Declaration emphasizes investments in skills development to support youth employment, while ensuring equal opportunities for women, persons with disabilities, and older persons, as well as strengthening social dialogue.
Third, it reaffirms the central role of cooperatives, the social and solidarity economy, and an inclusive socio-economic development to ensure no one is left behind.
Fourth, the Declaration calls for a renewed global commitment to social justice and fairer, more cohesive societies.
Excellencies,
The success of the Second World Summit for Social Development will depend on our capacity for collective action. We must advance a fairer, more sustainable, and resilient global social development agenda rooted in dignity, solidarity, and shared prosperity.
Our work starts today. UN DESA is proud to stand with you as a committed member of the Coalition for Social Justice. Let us leave this forum with a renewed purpose–to bring measurable and tangible change for all.
Thank you.