Final Doha Round Table Highlights Need to Fulfil Social Development Promises since Copenhagen

Final Doha Round Table Highlights Need to Fulfil Social Development Promises since Copenhagen

DOHA, QATAR (5 November) - Speakers at the final round-table discussion of the Second World Summit for Social Development today, in evaluating progress made since the First World Summit was held in Copenhagen 30 years ago, underscored the need to make good both on those promises and the ones made in Doha yesterday so that future generations do not continue to inherit the same problems.

The panel, titled "Assessing progress and addressing gaps and challenges in the implementation of the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and its Programme of Action and giving momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", was co-chaired by Roxana Mînzatu, European Commission Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, and Geoffrey Hanley, Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Moderated by Armida Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), a diverse group of speakers was asked a series of questions to explore how people and States have fared over the 30 years between Copenhagen and Doha.

On how debt has hindered the implementation of commitments over that period, Guylain Nyembo Mbwizya, Minister for Planning and Coordination of Development Aid of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pointed out that many developing countries are asked to sustain debt and implement budgetary constraints without appropriate support. As a result, these countries face "significantly reduced leeway for social projects", he noted, further exacerbated by conflict where present. In his own country, he said that the war has reduced the national budget by 40 per cent. And, while progress is ongoing, he stressed: "But, once again, the question of financing is key to the issue."

Trust, Social Investment Key to Inclusive Development

Asked about another constraint on progress - the effect of inequality, insecurity and distrust in institutions - Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, Minister for Social Security of Finland, said that "trust is the greatest asset a society can have". It grows when people feel secure and included and, for Finland, building trust is a policy goal - not just a development outcome. In her country's experience, she said, trust grows gradually through fairness, inclusion and transparency - measures like decentralized governance, open data and free press "empower people to shape the policies affecting their lives". She also spotlighted the benefits of fair taxation, observing: "People support taxes when they see real, concrete benefits in their lives, and Governments need revenue to deliver them."

Regarding Governments' ability to provide these benefits under fiscal pressure, Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister for Social Development and Family of Qatar, reported that her country has been able to maintain strong fiscal stability through "prudent economic management and long-term planning". This has allowed social spending to continue - and expand - even during periods of global volatility. Qatar believes, she said, that "social investment is not a cost - it is a driver of stability and growth". Further, it recognizes that many developing countries face severe fiscal constraints; therefore, the Qatar Fund for Development provides concessional loans, grants and guarantees to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty and provide humanitarian aid.

Accountability Frameworks Must Be Strengthened

Asked what other concrete actions can help realize the commitments made in Copenhagen, Matthias Thorns, Vice-President to and Employers' Group Spokesperson at the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the International Organization of Employers, stated: "We need to strengthen the accountability frameworks." Voluntary national review mechanisms must be strengthened - "it cannot be a 'tick-the-box' exercise", he stressed - as there were no unified monitoring frameworks for 20 years following the Copenhagen Declaration. This only came with the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Pointing out that "what you do not measure, you cannot improve", he urged a holistic monitoring system going forward that includes measures to promote a sustainable business environment; this, then, provides a source of decent work and growth.

Further on monitoring, Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, advised the international community to "keep the poverty score using a few headline numbers - and not a thunderstorm". For example, the Doha Declaration recognizes that 800 million live in monetary poverty and that over 1 billion live in multidimensional poverty. "This headline means that we can compare poverty across time and place," she pointed out, and "having headlines helps us focus and coordinate". However, these headlines must be disaggregated to illuminate inequalities by age, location, disability status and other metrics so that no one is left behind.

"Children's rights and well-being are a key measure of social progress", added Inger Ashing, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children International. However, she said that "sadly, by that measure, the world is failing". At the current pace, an estimated 750 million children will still live in multidimensional poverty in 2030, 224 million will remain out of school and 3.4 million children under five will continue to die every year from preventable causes. "These are not numbers - these are stories of missed opportunities and broken promises," she stressed. Calling for expanded social investment, she concluded: "When we put children first, we deliver on every promise made in Copenhagen, in Doha and in the 2030 Agenda."

Copenhagen's Goals Remain Unmet as Inequality Undermines Democracy

The Copenhagen Declaration, said Kaushik Basu, Professor at Cornell University, "reads as though it was drafted by someone who knew where the world was headed". Its concerns about democratic fragility, faltering migrant rights, declining demand for traditional labour and rising economic inequalities "cannot but resonate with every thinking person today", he said. And, while inequality is not new, there is now an additional dimension. "In earlier times, the super-rich could have multiple mansions, many automobiles, gems and jewellery and swimming pools," he noted. Now, in today's world of digital platforms, artificial intelligence and social media, he pointed out that the rich can not only have all that, but also a "disproportionate influence on how ordinary people think, talk, choose and behave".

"Hence, today's inequality is having an impact on democracy," and he stressed that the extreme inequality and democratic erosion contemplated by the Copenhagen Declaration are no longer two separate problems. Therefore, he stated that "a minimal amount of global governance and stronger multi-country agreements are the need of the hour". And, as it may not be possible to create new jobs - another priority of Copenhagen - using Keynesian fiscal policies as "robots can rob jobs", he urged new research about the meaning of labour, novel kinds of anti-trust intervention and minimal profit-sharing arrangements. The other lead discussant - Diene Keita, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - added: "What is very clear is that the promise of Copenhagen remains unfinished."

Delivering the keynote address, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed asked attendees to consider how the life of someone born in 1995 - when promises were made in Copenhagen - compares with those of their parents'. While many fared better - less likely to grow up in extreme poverty, better access to education and healthcare, longer lifespans - many did not see these gains. "Inequality is growing, and still shapes futures more than opportunities," she observed. Underscoring that "incremental progress is not enough", she stressed that, when injustice is inherited between generations, "we are tearing up the social contract".

"What we cannot do", she urged, "is continue with the approaches that got us here." The Doha Political Declaration recognizes that factors shaping peoples' lives are interconnected - one cannot be lifted out of poverty without access to education, for example. She emphasized: "Real progress only happens when we move forward together, across all fronts." In Copenhagen 30 years ago, the international community made promises to a generation. Today, in Doha, the world makes promises to current and future generations. She stressed that one day, the answer to whether we kept our promises "must be yes".