Aim High to Deliver on People’s Hopes for Well-being, Ensure All Stakeholders Have Voice, Deputy Secretary-General Urges Social Development Summit Preparatory Event

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s keynote remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the High-level Seminar “Towards the Second Summit for Social Development:  Enhancing Global Efforts to Achieve the 2030 Agenda” organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and International Labour Organization (ILO), in Santiago, Chile, today: 

I commend ECLAC and ILO for organizing this important and timely seminar and for the opportunity for us to articulate a common vision for the Second World Summit for Social Development.

The clock is ticking.  We are just six years away from our 2030 deadline for ending poverty and hunger everywhere, reducing inequalities, addressing climate change, building peaceful, just and inclusive societies, and achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We must acknowledge the progress made on some Goals since 2015.  However, as the recent succession of crises has made abundantly clear, this progress has always been fragile and uneven.

The challenges we face are intensifying.  Political polarization and declining trust in governments and institutions have become obstacles to collective action at the national and international levels.  Humanitarian needs are also skyrocketing and the social investments necessary to build genuine resilience and promote equal opportunity continue to be inadequate.  There is a lack of coherence between social and economic policies and between policy priorities and financing decisions.

The impacts of the triple planetary crisis and climate action change have become increasingly apparent and immediate, especially for the most vulnerable populations and countries, particularly small island developing States.  Increasing conflict and the prolonged economic downturn continue to affect countries and ecosystems alike.  Our collective failure to prevent and tackle these crises has left people feeling increasingly anxious, divided and uncertain about their future.

At every step, a social perspective on sustainable development, focused on equity, inclusion, social justice and non-discrimination, remains central to the achievement of the SDGs.  The 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development established a broad consensus that placed people at the centre of development.  This vision became the heart of the 2030 Agenda’s central pledge to leave no one behind.

The Second World Social Summit in 2025 can make this pledge a reality and turn the tide to overcome the challenges of our time.  Building on the outcomes of the 2023 SDG Summit and the forthcoming Summit of the Future, a successful Social Summit will be an opportunity to devise concrete strategies and strengthen commitments to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, adopt sustainable economic models, and leave no one behind.

By ushering in a new era of social protection, health coverage, education, and decent work, the Summit can renew commitments, and not just aspirations but realities for all, and accelerate action toward achieving all the SDGs.

The Summit can lay a foundation for safeguarding the progress we have made for decades to come, building on the outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025 where Member States will address the financial gaps needed to scale these social investments and make international financial institutions more inclusive and receptive to developing countries’ needs.

Although, some Member States have expressed a legitimate concern about creating new agendas in the current context when the task of realizing the SDGs and the Copenhagen commitments is not yet done.  This is not the time to change course.  Rather, the Social Summit is an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the programme of action of the first World Summit for Social Development five years ahead of 2030.

As we embark on the preparatory process towards the Summit, let us be mindful of these dynamics.  Let us remember that the UN system will have a crucial role in mobilizing political will and greater cooperation.  Delivering as one, we must be ready to carry forward the outcomes of the Social Summit.

The UN system is already coalescing around initiatives such as the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for a Just Transition, the Food Systems Hub and the Transforming Education Summit Stocktake. The Social Summit can and should promote these initiatives among Member States and within the UN system and identify areas where we might still have gaps.

In preparing for the World Social Summit, I urge you to aim high and seek innovative approaches to promote engagement, build trust and find consensus.  At every step, we must ensure that all stakeholders have a say, doing so will accelerate progress towards the SDGs from now to 2030 and beyond.

This is our chance to strengthen trust and solidarity between people, governments, and the United Nations system by delivering on people’s hopes and dreams for the health, safety and well-being of themselves, their families and their communities and ensuring no one is left behind.