The co-facilitators of the intergovernmental preparatory process for the Second World Summit for Social Development, also known as the World Social Summit, have circulated a roadmap for the negotiations of the political declaration – the Summit’s expected outcome. The World Social Summit is scheduled to convene from 4-6 November 2025 in Qatar.
In a letter dated 3 December 2024, Permanent Representative of Belgium Philippe Kridelka and Permanent Representative of Morocco Omar Hilale affirm their commitment “to facilitating the intergovernmental negotiation process in an open, inclusive, and transparent manner with a view to producing a concise and action-oriented political declaration to be adopted by consensus.” This declaration, they note, “should have a social development approach” and offer momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The co-facilitators also express their dedication “to ensuring that all relevant stakeholders can participate and engage meaningfully in this process.”
The letter notes that the co-facilitators heard countries’ expectations for the outcome of the Summit during a first hearing for Member States on 28 October 2024. To allow ample time for delegations to prepare for the negotiations, the letter outlines “the first indications” of a roadmap for the talks, including that the co-facilitators:
- Aim to prepare a ‘Food for Thought’ paper prior to the circulation of the zero draft of the political declaration;
- Request that Member States send inputs for the Food for Thought paper by 7 February 2025, inviting delegations to focus on the main substantive elements of the political declaration, its structure, and the timeline;
- Intend to communicate the Food for Thought paper before 21 February 2025 and hold an informal consultation on it in early March; and
- Plan to present the zero draft of the political declaration before the end of March, for the informal consultations to begin in mid-April, with the goal to finalize the negotiations by early July.
The letter notes that the timeline for the informal consultations will be detailed in early February at the latest.
President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Philemon Yang circulated the co-facilitators’ letter to Member States on 11 December 2024.
The 2025 World Social Summit follows the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, which established “a vision of people-centred development and a global commitment to social development.” The proposal to convene a World Social Summit in 2025 originates from the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Our Common Agenda’ report. [World Social Summit 2025]
