Video Message
Sixth session of the Regional Conference on Social Development
in Latin America and the Caribbean
Seventeenth Ministerial Forum for Development
in Latin America and the Caribbean
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Delegates,
I commend you for convening this important regional meeting in the lead-up to the Second World Summit for Social Development.
At the outset, I extend my sincere thanks to my colleague, Mr. Jos¨¦ Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, for the invitation to share this message with you.
The Second World Summit for Social Development will convene in Doha in the coming November ¡ªthirty years after the first Summit held in Copenhagen. I am honoured to lead DESA¡¯s support for this landmark event.
The journey to WSSD2 is rooted in decades of multilateral efforts to prioritize human well-being, equity and inclusion. In 1995, Governments adopted the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and its Programme of Action, committing to eradicate poverty, achieve full employment and promote social integration.
A series of UN Summits and high-level meetings reinforced these goals, including the Millennium Summit in 2000 and the Rio+20 Conference in 2012.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals, two SDG Summits were held respectively in 2019 and 2023, followed by the Summit of the Future in 2024, and the recently convened 4th International Conference on Financing for Development.
All of these set the stage for renewed global commitments, emphasizing social justice and inclusive development. They highlight the important work of the United Nations in advancing sustainable development, with human well-being at the very heart of development.
In this regard, the contributions of the entire UN system, including ECLAC, are greatly valued and appreciated.
The upcoming Summit in Doha will seek to evaluate the progress achieved since Copenhagen and define new strategies to address current social development challenges.
Indeed, despite significant progress, problems such as poverty, inequality and social exclusion persist in the context of global crises and accelerated change. High levels of informal employment and weak social protection coverage leave many behind, despite the pledge to reach the furthest behind first.
This Summit will be a key opportunity to strengthen our commitment to lasting solutions.
Latin America and the Caribbean, a region with a rich history of social innovation, has a pivotal role to play. Your leadership and experience are essential in aligning policy priorities with the deliberations and outcomes of the Summit.
I encourage your Governments to participate at the highest levels in the Summit. I urge you, together with employers¡¯ and workers¡¯ organizations, civil society partners, organizations of persons with disabilities, youth, Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent and other stakeholders, to showcase successful social development initiatives at the ¡°Solution Sessions,¡± to be held during the Summit.
In closing, I wish you fruitful discussions and eagerly await your contributions to building a more inclusive and equitable world.
Thank you.