A reflection by Liana Almony, Chair of the NGO CSocD for the 2024-2026 term
Originally published and shared as a position paper for UNANIMA International
Introduction
The first World Summit for Social Development took place in Copenhagen in 1995 with an ambitious vision of social justice, solidarity, harmony, and equality within and among countries. Almost 30 years later, the world is a different place, but in many ways we are no closer to actualizing the commitments of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration. There are almost 4 billion more people today than there were in 1995, along with intensifying consequences of climate change, technological disruptions, heightened geopolitical tensions, and increased local and global inequalities. The international financial architecture has proven to be no longer suitable to meet the needs of today. And vulnerable populations including women, children and girls experiencing homelessness continue to be left behind, often struggling to access basic necessities and services. While strides have been made in the past few decades, the current global landscape necessitates a reassessment of strategies, a reaffirmation of commitments, and the mobilization of resources through multilateral and cooperative efforts.
In September 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled the Our Common Agenda (OCA) report, which presents his recommendations on how to take forward the commitments expressed by the UN General Assembly in the UN75 Declaration. The report was intended as a wake-up call to speed implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and provide recommendations to address strategic gaps in global governance arrangements. The 2024 Civil Society Conference, the 2024 Summit of the Future, and the 2025 World Social Summit were all called for in the OCA Report as opportunities to build momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and forge a new global consensus on multilateral solutions to current and future problems.
The World Social Summit in 2025 was a key recommendation in the OCA to drive progress forward, with the SG stating that “now is the time to renew the social contract between Governments and their societies, so as to rebuild trust and embrace a comprehensive vision of human rights… It should include updated governance arrangements to deliver better public goods and usher in a new era of universal social protection” (OCA 4). The outcome of the Summit will be an update of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and a recommitment to its ten Commitments on poverty eradication, reducing inequality, promoting full employment, and social inclusion.
The 2025 World Social Summit will also build on the work done in this vein at the UN since 1995, most notably during the annual Commission on Social Development (CSocD). The deliberations and outcomes of each CSocD built a foundation in the pursuit of the actualization of the Copenhagen Declaration and the SDGs, with recent priority themes on homelessness, productive employment and decent work, and social justice. The 2025 Commission on Social Development (CSocD63) will act as the jumping-off board to the 2025 WSS, with the priority theme: “Strengthening solidarity, social inclusion and social cohesion to accelerate the delivery of the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, as well as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” The framework for how to address today’s global challenges has already been developed, we just need the political will and effective multilateral collaboration to implement that framework and fill the gaps.
Social Development Advocacy Priorities
The 2025 World Social Summit offers a pivotal opportunity to address gaps in implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and the SDGs and place people at the center of global policy-making. The needs of persons experiencing poverty and homelessness must be considered first. A Renewed Social Contract is required. All marginalized people need to be included in the renewal, and only then will the Summit “hold a different form of global deliberation and live up to the values, including trust and listening, that underpin the social contract” (OCA 30).
In the OCA, the SG recommended the following issues to be considered during the second World Social Summit: universal social protection floors, universal health coverage, adequate housing, education for all, and decent work. This Summit will therefore provide a platform to prioritize and catalyze concerted action towards addressing global homelessness by placing it at the forefront of the international agenda. After all, the structural and circumstantial drivers of homelessness include inequality, poverty, and lack of access to decent work, healthcare, education, and housing. By recognizing homelessness as a stand-alone issue and a symptom of broader systemic failures, the Summit can pave the path towards the more sustainable, equitable, and just future that the UN has long promised to create and uphold.
For the Summit to truly drive progress on Our Common Agenda, it must establish actionable and solution-oriented mechanisms which integrate universal social protection frameworks. Social protection floors can act as an intervention for those experiencing homelessness, providing access to essential services such as housing assistance, mental health support, and employment opportunities. Moreover, investing in social protection yields long-term and far-reaching benefits, fostering inclusive growth, capacity-building, and resilience against global shocks. By fostering a safety net for the most vulnerable, Member States and other stakeholders can break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and unleash the full potential of their citizens, driving innovation, productivity, and sustainable development.
A major goal for the 2025 Summit will be to establish a fund for social protection that would provide governments with financing to achieve SDG target 1.3 on establishing national social protection systems. The Summit should also promote gender-responsive social protection policies and programs that address the unique needs and challenges faced by women and girls, ensuring their full participation and empowerment. Member States must implement and strengthen social protection systems for all in order to eradicate poverty, to address and prevent homelessness, and to actualize commitments to human dignity and social justice.
