Doha: HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres affirmed that the Doha Political Declaration serves as a “booster shot” for development and a comprehensive, people-centered roadmap. He stressed that delivering on the declaration requires action in four priority areas: accelerating the fight against poverty and inequality; maintaining a strong focus on job creation and employment opportunities; mobilizing adequate financing; and upholding human rights and inclusivity for all.
According to Qatar News Agency, in his opening address at the Second World Summit for Social Development, His Excellency emphasized that the Doha Political Declaration can be translated into tangible outcomes by ensuring opportunities for all, grounded in the principles of social justice, full employment, and the preservation of human dignity. He added that the convening of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha comes at a time when the world is witnessing profound challenges, including growing uncertainty, deepening geopolitical divisions, armed conflicts, and widespread human suffering.
He stressed that millions of people continue to endure hunger, poverty, and unemployment, while many developing countries remain without the adequate support needed to confront these challenges. He explained that the Doha Political Declaration is, at its core, a people-centered plan to accelerate efforts to combat poverty and reduce inequality. It calls for comprehensive investments in food security, healthcare and education systems, water and sanitation infrastructure, adequate housing, clean and affordable energy, and robust social protection mechanisms, supported by reliable data systems to monitor progress.
He called on governments participating in the upcoming 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Brazil to present concrete plans to reduce emissions over the next decade, while simultaneously advancing climate justice for communities on the front lines of the crisis, despite having contributed least to its causes. He also emphasized the need to invest in the future of the planet through concrete plans to reduce emissions and advance climate justice.
He urged countries to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to support climate action in developing nations, to double adaptation financing to at least $40 billion this year, and to capitalize the Loss and Damage Fund with substantial contributions. The UN chief emphasized that expanding employment opportunities is a central pillar of the people-centered roadmap. He stressed the need for governments and the private sector to promote decent work and fair wages, facilitate the transition of workers from the informal economy to green, digital, and care-driven sectors, and invest in training, skills development, and lifelong learning.
He also highlighted the importance of bridging the digital divide and ensuring access to digital and artificial-intelligence skills, guaranteeing equal opportunities for women, strengthening care systems, and protecting workers’ rights. With regard to financing, he underscored the need to strengthen the lending capacity of multilateral development banks, expand private-sector financing, alleviate debt burdens, and reform the global financial architecture to better represent the priorities of developing countries.
He also stressed the importance of increasing the participation of these countries in decision-making processes to ensure inclusive and equitable global economic governance. He emphasized that any people-centered plan must uphold human rights and inclusivity, warning against the continued exclusion of many groups, including women, minorities, migrants, refugees, older persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and youth.
He stressed the importance of protecting democratic values, enhancing women’s participation, eliminating discrimination and gender-based violence, and building societies resilient to misinformation and hate speech, with human rights serving as a guiding compass for justice and a better future for all. The UN Secretary-General noted that the first World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995, marked a moment of moral clarity in which the international community affirmed that true development is not about prosperity for a privileged few, but about ensuring opportunities for all.
He highlighted that since then, more than one billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, global unemployment has fallen to historic lows, and access to healthcare, education, and social protection has expanded significantly. He added that life expectancy has risen, child and maternal mortality have declined, and the number of girls attending school, along with graduation rates for all students, has increased markedly.
In conclusion, HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres stressed that the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha represents a critical opportunity to rekindle hope through collective action. He called for translating the Doha Political Declaration into concrete reality through a bold global plan that addresses shared challenges and secures a better future for all.