Speakers Highlight National Policies to Turn International Declarations on Social Development into Reality, as Commission Continues Session
The Commission for Social Development continued its annual session today with a ministerial forum examining how national policies can translate commitments made in both Copenhagen and Doha into reality.
The Commission’s sixty-fourth session opened on 2 February, and will run through 10 February at UN Headquarters in New York. Created in 1946, the Commission provides a forum in which Member States assess progress and gaps in poverty eradication, social inclusion, employment and social protection.
Today’s forum was titled “Leveraging the outcomes of the Second World Summit for Social Development from Copenhagen to Doha: Mobilizing national action towards 2030 and beyond”. It centred on implementing commitments made during the two World Summits for Social Development held to date — the first in Copenhagen in 1995 and the second in Doha 30 years later. These are contained in, respectively, the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and the Doha Political Declaration.
“Through this panel discussion, we hope to stimulate forward-looking strategies while connecting the historical commitments of Copenhagen with the renewed momentum from Doha,” said Khrystyna Hayovyshyn (Ukraine), the Commission’s Chair, who moderated today’s forum.
From Care to Empowerment: Focus on Women, Elderly, People with Disabilities
Opening the forum’s first segment, Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister for Social Development and Family of Qatar, said that her country was proud to host the Second World Summit for Social Development as a testament to its “policy of action based on participation and cooperation with the international community”. Its result, the Doha Political Declaration, is an important document to advance social policies, promote international solidarity and work towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Underscoring the need to translate the promises of that text into action, she said that her Ministry’s “From Care to Empowerment” strategy empowers women and supports persons with disabilities and the elderly.
On how to build on the momentum from Doha, she said that the international community must continue to work together, strengthen multilateral cooperation and turn the Declaration’s aspirations and commitments into concrete, measurable outcomes. She also underlined the “urgent need for collective action, genuine solidarity and effective multilateralism supported by strong partnerships”.
Decent Work Key to Sustainable Welfare Society
“Employment is at the heart of a sustainable welfare society,” said Kaisa Juuso, Minister for Social Affairs and Health of Finland, speaking next. People must be able to live on their pay, and work should be rewarding. Finland has also prioritized gender equality in this domain, advancing pay transparency, equal parental leave and quality childcare. She also detailed Government efforts to ensure high-quality and financially sustainable services for all — regardless of income — and to ensure dignified ageing and inclusion for persons with disabilities. “Future generations must be at the centre of our decisions today,” she added.
Asked, then, about the future of social development, she said that digitalization and AI can help identify needs earlier and improve services. “Progress must be for everyone,” she stressed. So, to prevent the exclusion of those facing barriers due to age, disability, skills or access, she said that the priority should be to pair every new tool with inclusive design, offline alternatives and real, hands-on support so that “no one is left behind”.
Following that, Antonio Sanguino, Minister for Labour of Colombia, pointed to the Doha Political Declaration’s emphasis on social development and protection, labour reform and migration as a driver of growth, noting that these objectives align with those of his Government. However, he observed that success — as stated in the Declaration — “depends on our collective ability to translate international commitment into specific national policies that curb poverty, inequality and exclusion”. To illustrate, he said that Government efforts have lifted almost 2 million Colombians out of poverty, achieved “the lowest unemployment rate of the century” and have enabled hundreds of thousands of former informal workers to access work with greater guarantees and social protection.
Asked about Government action to address the high informality in the workforce that remains, he detailed a plan to formalize around 1.5 million workers as well as his Ministry’s promotion of the “Jobs for Life” programme. That policy generated 240,000 new jobs between August and December 2025 — particularly for women, persons with disabilities and youth.
Better Outcomes through Social Dialogue, Multi-stakeholder Engagement
For her part, Korinna Schumann, Federal Minister for Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of Austria, spotlighted her country’s long-standing tradition of social dialogue and multi-stakeholder engagement. She credited those two actions with better outcomes across social policy, education and inclusive economic growth. “At the heart of Austria’s approach lies a comprehensive welfare state with high levels of social and family benefits that helps prevent poverty risks,” she stated. In the same vein, she acknowledged headwinds from the COVID-19 pandemic, energy challenges, inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, which have all resulted in financial constraints for low-income groups. In response, Austria has rolled out measures to curb rent increases, tackle homelessness and end child poverty.
On how Austria intends to include vulnerable groups in the labour market, she detailed several initiatives that have created thousands of jobs, a retirement scheme allowing gradual transitions for ageing workers and increased support for women. “Women often face barriers in the labour market,” she noted, pointing to a new action plan focused on curbing gender-based violence through targeted training and on reducing women’s economic dependence.
Structural Reform: Investing in Human Capital
In the second segment, Lesly Nadir Shica Seguil, Minister for Development and Social Inclusion of Peru, said that the international consensus — from Copenhagen to Doha — has been that “social development cannot be limited to merely mitigating poverty; it must transform the structural conditions that perpetuate it”. In Peru, this is expressed through a decision to invest in human capital and opportunities, rather than mere assistance, and she reported that her Ministry’s $200 million budget for this fiscal year will fund an approach aimed at “protecting today while creating opportunities for tomorrow”. This will be achieved through a focus on early childhood development, economic inclusion and food security.
Asked about Government efforts to promote social inclusion for future generations, she spotlighted Peru’s “Juntos” programme. This initiative supports young people by providing opportunities for higher education, meritocratic public employment and subsidies for those studying to work in Government. “In Peru, in 2026, being a poor young person doesn’t mean being left out,” she stressed.
Social Policy Not Just Safety Net, but Trampoline
Noting the cold weather in New York, Ilona Havronska, Deputy Minister for Social Policy, Family and Unity for European Integration of Ukraine, said that it is even colder in Ukraine where “millions of households — including my own apartment — remain without electricity and heating”. She also described a reality where hundreds of drones and missiles strike energy, housing and other civilian infrastructure. “Money alone does not solve complex social fractures; people need services and human connection,” she stressed. Meanwhile, social policy cannot be only a safety net. “It must also be a trampoline,” she added. With 4.6 million Ukrainians internally displaced and some 7 million abroad, cohesion and inclusiveness demand integration services and mental-health support.
On how her Ministry ensures that social-protection support reaches vulnerable families during wartime, she said that “resilience centres” in over 200 communities have become “islands of safety” in Ukraine. These centres offer services, psychological support and self-help tools. She also said that Ukraine is aiming to guarantee free, high-tech devices to many of those injured on the battlefield. “We are radically reforming our childcare system so every child can grow in a family environment,” she added. Further, a unified social-information system enables case management and continuity even during blackouts through a cloud-based system. “Today, over 30 social benefits are available online or automatically,” she reported.
Social Development as Macroeconomic Priority
Margrit Saroufim Youssef, Deputy Minister for Social Solidarity of Egypt, said that her country has allocated E£742.6 billion for social protection in the 2025-26 budget. This, she stressed, shows that social development “is not a residual policy, but a macroeconomic priority”. The central pillar of Egypt’s approach is its “Takaful and Karama” cash-assistance programme, launched in 2015. She noted that this serves as a platform for integrated, “cash-plus” interventions, linking beneficiaries to health, education, nutrition and other services, and has expanded from E£3.6 billion serving 1 million families to over E£54 billion currently supporting 4.7 million families today.
On how the Government is adapting its social-protection strategies to shield vulnerable groups from economic shocks, she again spotlighted the “Takaful and Karama” programme as the “main factor”. She also detailed the “Cultivate” initiative, which provides financial support to small-scale wheat farmers.
“Egypt’s experience illustrates how national-development strategy can be aligned with the Doha Political Declaration through institutionalization, scale and sustainability,” she concluded.
Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here.