Associated Event: 12th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development
Background
The Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and its Programme of Action (A/CONF.166/9), adopted in 1995, has long served as a guiding framework for multilateral cooperation on social development. It emphasized that placing people at the heart of development is essential, with a focus on eradicating poverty, fostering full and productive employment, and promoting social inclusion as key pillars. This Declaration highlighted the interdependence of economic development, social advancement, and environmental protection as essential elements of sustainable progress.
In alignment with General Assembly resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, the Second World Summit for Social Development will convene from 4 to 6 November 2025 in Qatar. This Summit will build upon the original principles set forth in the Copenhagen Declaration, facilitating a renewed dialogue among Member States on achieving social development for all. General Assembly resolution 78/318 calls upon regional commissions to support the Summit and its preparatory process and thus builds on the Copenhagen Declaration which had recognized the role of Regional Commissions to review and assess progress made towards implementing the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.
In this context, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in partnership with regional UN agencies is coordinating a process to prepare regional inputs for the Second World Summit for Social Development. A one-day associated event is being organized in partnership with ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women and on 24 February 2025, as part of the 12th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (25–28 February 2025). It builds on a special event organized on October 10, 2024 and attended by representatives from Governments, the UN, academia, civil society and development partners that provided a space to discuss social development issues of importance to the region with a focus on their interlinkages.
The event will comprise an opening panel discussion and four thematic roundtable discussions. The opening panel will set the stage by addressing the broader themes of social development and their intersection with regional challenges. Each roundtable discussion will cover specific thematic areas, including:
Universal Social Protection and decent work to support inclusive development and a just transition
Building Equitable Futures: Intergenerational Solidarity and Policy in the Era of Demographic Shifts
Transforming the Care Economy – Advancing Gender Equality
Enabling economic and social transformation: Advancing inclusive growth through social investment
This associated event played a crucial role in preparing for the World Summit on Social Development 2025 by highlighting social development priorities in Asia and the Pacific, fostering multi-sector collaboration, and ensuring that the voices of the Asia-Pacific region were reflected in the global discourse on sustainable and inclusive development.
The expected outcome of the meeting was a meeting report of the meeting to be produced after the consultation. The meeting report was expected to highlight the global trends affecting social development in the region and identify actions that could be taken to ensure sustainable, inclusive and cohesive societies in the future. It was expected that the discussions in the meeting would inform preparations of Member States for the 2nd World Summit for Social Development 2025.
Key Objectives
Foster dialogue and knowledge exchange among policymakers, development practitioners, experts and stakeholders in the Asia Pacific region on new and emerging policies and priorities in light of the current socio-economic context.
Provide a platform for dialogue on critical social development issues in the Asia-Pacific region.
Identify areas of action for the upcoming World Social Summit, focusing on themes relevant to the regions socio-economic development contexts.
Organizer(s)
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Co-organizer(s)
ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN WOMEN