Qatar National Convention Center, where the Second World Summit on Social Development will be held from the fourth to the sixth of November 2025. In Doha, world leaders called for a move from promises to action amid growing global challenges Economic development
Amid the world’s deepening challenges – from rising hunger and poverty to climate instability – representatives of governments, civil society and international organizations from around the world gathered in Doha on Monday to discuss concrete steps to find answers to the most pressing challenges of our time.
The Second World Summit on Social Development will be held from the fourth to the sixth of November in the capital of Qatar. On the eve of the summit, discussions took place within the framework of the Forum for Social Development Solutions and the first meeting of the leaders of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.
Learning from each other
Opening the Solutions Forum, the President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Burbock, noted that the event symbolizes the transition from discussion of problems to practical action.
“Too often we are faced with situations where we do not know how to help people who are suffering,” said she.
“Or we have a solution, but we can’t or won’t take the necessary steps,” Burbock added.
World leaders gathered in Doha, she said, to “learn from each other, build on good ideas, join forces and follow common principles.”
Successful decisions
The forum was organized by Qatar jointly with France with the support of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It brought together representatives of governments, businesses and various organizations who presented successful examples of projects in the field of combating poverty, ensuring decent working conditions and social inclusion.
Berbock gave a number of examples. Sierra Leone is implementing a program to support people with disabilities through training, employment and microloans. In Sri Lanka, an innovation center provides vocational training to young people. In India, a national digital identity system has enabled more than 300 million bank accounts and increased access to social services.
These initiatives, she said, demonstrate what can be achieved when innovation, partnerships and resources are used effectively.
UN Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed stressed the need to move from promise to delivery obligations.
She noted the importance of the Doha Political Declaration, which is planned to be adopted at the summit: “This declaration calls for the creation of effective social contracts that are fair, inclusive and relevant to the realities of today.”
“To achieve this, we must scale up those solutions that have already proven to work,” Mohammed said, calling on forum participants to share successful examples. “Use these examples as inspiration,” she added.
Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty
Monday also marked the first high-level meeting of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
Today, with more than 670 million people suffering from hunger and 2.3 billion experiencing food insecurity, Burbock stressed that the crisis is not about food shortages, but about “inequality, conflict and bad policy decisions.”
“These are billions of people who don’t know where to get food the next day. Parents forced to watch their children go to bed hungry… This is a preventable crisis,” she said. instability.
“Farmlands in the Sahel are turning to dust – the new front line in the fight against hunger,” she said, warning that without drastic action, global warming could leave another 1.8 billion people at the mercy of hunger.
The Global Alliance, established in 2024, chaired Brazil is a member of the G20, which already includes almost 200 members – governments, regional associations, international organizations and civil society structures. every person,” Burbock emphasized. “A world without hunger and poverty is not a utopia, but a goal that we can achieve if we act together.”