Doha Social Development Summit: The path to more just societies starts in the classroom

The spacious Qatar National Convention Centre, packed with delegations, students, civil society representatives and law makers from around the world, embodied the scale of this event.

Nearly 14,000 participants have registered for the summit, which brings together governments, international organizations and community actors to formulate a vision for people-centred social development over the next decade.

Education is the basis of the new social contract

The opening day of the summit began with a high-level event under the slogan: “Education as the basis of the new social contract.” Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser delivered an opening speech in which she called for redoubling efforts towards education as the basic starting point for justice and seizing opportunities.

Her Highness noted that 272 million children are currently deprived of education, many of them due to conflicts, and stressed that progress is impossible if exclusion continues. She said: “Education is not a luxury, nor a gift given. It is a right – and an existential issue for the future of nations.”

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, reinforced this message, describing education as… “Our best anti-poverty tool.” But he warned of widening inequalities, chronic underinvestment, and a global shortage of trained teachers.

He called for repairing “the cracks in this vital foundation,” calling for bridging digital gaps, enhancing support for teachers, and treating education not as a cost, but as a strategic investment.

In a subsequent press conference, Mr. Guterres stressed that rebuilding educational systems would be necessary in crisis contexts, including Gaza and Sudan.

And he said: “Education must be a fundamental pillar of any reconstruction project in Gaza.”

Presidents’ dialogue

The session also included a high-level dialogue with the Presidents of Kenya, Albania and Palau, who emphasized that education is an investment in human development and future growth.

Kenyan President William Ruto called for aligning education with digital needs and the labor market; The President of Albania, Bairam Begay, emphasized education as a universal right; Palau President Surangel Whipps highlighted the importance of ensuring access to education in remote and island communities.

Solutions emerging from the top

Across the conference halls, solutions-focused sessions explored viable ways to develop opportunities and enhance social protection.

In a keynote session on comprehensive social protection, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, stressed that social protection “It is not charity, but a human right.”They are essential for justice and resilience.

She highlighted progress made in expanding coverage to include informal workers and urged international financial reforms to protect public investment. She said: “Practical solutions are within reach. Let us turn commitments into action.”

A new policy approach to combating poverty

The United Nations Development Program presented a new analysis urging governments to exceed traditional poverty thresholds. Its policy brief proposes creating “floors to prosperity” — to ensure that people can not only escape poverty, but also remain resilient to shocks such as disease, job loss or climate-related disasters.

According to the analysis, 411 million people could move from poverty to basic security by 2030 if countries pursue intensive job growth, adaptive social protection, and policies that improve wages and working conditions.

In an interview with UN News, Haoliang Xu, Acting Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, said: “Through decisive and integrated action, we can break the cycle of weakness and achieve lasting prosperity. The past 30 years have shown that progress is possible,” Referring to the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration, which set out for the first time global commitments on social development.

It’s time to implement

From youth dialogues to discussions on digital inclusion, nutrition, the rights of persons with disabilities, decent work and aging societies, participants stressed a common message: Progress is possible, but it must be rooted in real needs on the ground.

With leaders adopting the Doha Political Declaration, attention now turns to translating commitments into action and investment.

“Sustainable Development Goals Ambassadors”

Young children who know themselves as “Ambassadors of the Sustainable Development Goals” participated in the opening day of the summit, representing the smallest delegation participating in the World Summit for Social Development in Doha. These children are part of a Qatari community initiative that includes children between the ages of 10-14 years. The initiative aims to raise awareness among young people about the sustainable development goals. UN News spoke to these young ambassadors.

The UN News team is in Doha, reporting continuously throughout the Summit.