27 February 2024 – The United Nations General Assembly addresses gaps in the principles outlined in the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programs of Action and recommits to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This social summit has been around since the historic first World Summit on Social Development, where heads of state and government set out an ambitious shared vision of social development aimed at social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and between countries. It will be held 30 years later. The Summit adopted the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action, which puts people at the center of development and includes 10 commitments, including eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, and promoting full employment and social inclusion.
The resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly acknowledges the progress made since 1995, but expresses grave concern that progress has been slow and uneven, and that large gaps remain. The 2025 Social Summit aims to reinvigorate support for the commitments made in Copenhagen, in conjunction with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In preparation for the Social Summit, this resolution requires the President of the United Nations General Assembly to appoint two co-facilitators (one from a developing country and one from a developed country) to lead an intergovernmental preparatory process. Their primary responsibility is to shape both the Summit’s procedures and its outcome document, which is described as a “short and concise political declaration adopted by consensus” and “with a social development approach, It must provide the impetus to achieve the 2030 goals.” agenda. “
The resolution was co-sponsored by Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Vietnam and Zambia. Following the submission of the resolution, the following countries also became co-sponsors: Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Finland, France, Georgia. , Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Monaco, Mozambique, Netherlands (Kingdom), North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka , Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Now that the resolution has been approved, focus will turn to developing a roadmap to ensure the success of the Social Summit, which mobilizes collective action on the world’s most pressing social issues.
Download the resolution in all six official languages of the United Nations.
For more information, please visit https://social.desa.un.org/second-world-summit-for-social-development.