IFLA is looking ahead to the 2nd World Social Summit, taking place in Doha, Qatar on 4-6 November 2025. This will focus on issues which matter for libraries, and where our institutions and profession have a major contribution to make. Read on to find out more, and see how you can engage!

Talk about the sustainability of development often focuses on how to balance the drive for economic growth with the need to safeguard the environment. But there is a third pillar of sustainable development – the social.

Social development focuses on the importance of combatting poverty, inequality and discrimination, as well as promoting decent work for all.

This is not only an end in itself, but also essential for achieving progress more broadly. Without social development, the ability of societies to sustain growth, or to mobilise to address climate change, is limited.

Thirty years on from the first World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, the United Nations will therefore be holding the 2nd edition on 4-6 November in Doha.

Looking back at the Copenhagen Commitments

This major event, the last of the major gatherings foreseen in the United Nations’ Our Common Agenda, is an opportunity to look back at progress against the commitments in Copenhagen:

  • To create a legal, political and economic environment that supports social development
  • To eradicate poverty, and address its root causes
  • To promote full employment while respecting work-life balance
  • To promote social integration through promotion and protection of human rights
  • To achieve equality between women and men
  • To enable access to health and education services
  • To accelerate development in Africa and Least Developed Countries
  • To include social development goals in wider adjustment programmes
  • To allocate sufficient resources for social development
  • To enhance international cooperation for social development

Across these commitments, the importance of people- and rights-centred development is key, with the argument that everyone needs to have the possibility to strengthen their capacities and realise their potential.

With just five years to go to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the meeting will have a strong focus on what actions can be taken to accelerate progress. The need is urgent – progress in addressing social policy goals has been too slow so far.

Wealth gaps remain high, as do levels of vulnerability to different types of shock. The world is far from achieving gender equality, and even as connectivity increases it is clear that digital inclusion requires far more work.

Towards a new Declaration

Preparations are well underway, with the UN’s own website sharing plenty of information about what is planned. As part of this, a proposed declaration is already on its third version (Rev2).

This reaffirms the importance of the Copenhagen Commitments, but also looks to underline additional areas where work is required. These include references to the wider 2030 Agenda, the need to connect skills agendas to employment policies, a stronger focus on access to technology, and more on the value of resilience and disaster readiness.

For libraries, it is welcome to see the emphasis in this on closing digital and knowledge divides, addressing misinformation and disinformation, upholding freedom of expression, education for all, the right of all to participate in cultural life, and more broadly on advancing the role of culture in contributing to social integration and cohesion.

Nonetheless, these references could certainly be stronger, recognising that access to information and knowledge are an essential first step towards other aspects of development. There could also be clearer discussion of the role of cultural institutions and actors, as well as of supporting local action.

We will be working to call for these changes, working in particular with our Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa at Qatar National Library. In particular, we will be sharing insights into how libraries, information and knowledge are already helping to achieve social development goals.

Your opportunity to contribute!

As part of the preparations, the UN is inviting people around the world to share how they define social progress.

The goal of collecting the ideas is to be able to define a set of priorities that the Summit will need to address in order to be a success.

The survey is open until 8 September (you may need to try a couple of times with the link), and we warmly encourage library and information workers from around the world to contribute.

In doing so, feel free to highlight the importance both of information and knowledge as a basic right and enabler of social progress, as well as the specific roles that libraries can play in building cohesive and equitable communities.