Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development
Work area(s)
The Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025 represents a unique milestone for stakeholders to come together to jointly analyze the road travelled, analyze the present and make decisions that will make a future with less inequality and greater social mobility and cohesion feasible. Three decades later, it is essential to place the region's hopes and experiences at the center of the debate.

Background
The 1995 World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen, was a milestone in the international social development agenda. At the Summit, governments adopted the Copenhagen Declaration and its Program of Action, focusing development on people and making key commitments. Among the main agreements were the eradication of poverty, the promotion of full and productive employment, and the promotion of social integration. Ten commitments for action were defined, covering gender equality, universal access to education and health, international cooperation and the strengthening of the institutional framework. It was emphasized that social development is a multisectoral process, inseparable from the political, economic and cultural spheres. This event consolidated the importance of integrated policies to achieve sustainable and inclusive development at the global level, establishing the basis for future international initiatives and commitments.
Thirty years after the 1995 Summit, the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held in 2025, seeks to evaluate the progress achieved and define new strategies to address current challenges. Problems such as poverty, inequality and social exclusion persist in a context of global crises and accelerated change.This summit will be a key opportunity to strengthen commitments and promote policies that guarantee greater social cohesion and economic mobility.Latin America and the Caribbean, with a long history in the debate on social development, will present proposals to reduce inequality and improve social inclusion.The summit will also serve as a platform to consolidate a common perspective to strengthen governance, international cooperation and the role of civil society in the implementation of effective policies for sustainable development.
News:
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24 June 2025 | Press Release
ECLAC: The World Urgently Needs a Pact for Inclusive Social Development
Today the Fifth Regional Seminar on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean was inaugurated in Santiago, Chile.
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17 June 2025 | News
Authorities and Specialists Will Meet at ECLAC to Strengthen Latin America and the Caribbean’s Regional Agenda for Inclusive Social Development Ahead of Global Gathering in Qatar
On June 24-26, the Fifth Regional Seminar on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean will take place, focused on the region’s preparatory process vis-à-vis the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Doha in November.
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13 June 2025 | Briefing note
Second Meeting of the Working Group "Promoting Labour Inclusion through Social Protection"
Outstanding participation of representatives from the Ministries of Social Development and Labour in a meeting on monotax regimes in the region as a tool for labour inclusion and social protection.
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1 April 2025 | News
ECLAC Advocates for Forging a Global Pact for Inclusive Social Development at Summit to be Held in Qatar
In the framework of the eighth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, taking place in Santiago, Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs shared a policy brief that includes a series of concrete proposals in that direction.
Activities:
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25 June 2025, 16:30 - 18:00 | Meetings and technical symposiums
Side Event "Resilient Labour Inclusion in the face of New Risks:…
The objective of this side event is to analyze the challenges and opportunities related to the promotion of green jobs and aligned inclusion policies in Latin America and the Caribbean in the face of emerging risks associated with climate change and complex emergencies. The event aims to identify strategies to strengthen resilient labour inclusion and social protection in unequal societies.
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25 June 2025, 13:00 - 14:30 | Meetings and technical symposiums
Side event "Social Cohesion in Latin America: Social Institutions…
At this event, two documents will be presented that address crucial aspects of social cohesion in the region: the institutional framework of indigenous peoples and the effective participation of young people. The aim is to open a discussion on the state of social cohesion in the region within the framework of the project. To this end, a discussion panel will review the findings of both documents, building connections between them and identifying key challenges for social cohesion.
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24 June 2025, 16:30 - 18:00 | Meetings and technical symposiums