We Must Address ‘Unfinished Business’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Social Summit Round Table, Calling for Integrated Policies, Sustained Investment

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's remarks, as prepared for delivery, at World Social Summit Round Table 2: Assessing progress and addressing gaps and challenges in the implementation of the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, in Doha today:

Picture someone born in 1995. They're 30 years old today. How does their life compare to their parents'? In many ways, it looks better. 1995 was a time of hope, of shared conviction that the world could do better.

And millions of children born at the time reaped the benefits. They were far less likely to grow up in extreme poverty than their parents. They have had better access to education and healthcare. Their life expectancy is longer. They have access to social protection.

These are real gains, hard-won through collective effort that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reinforced and carried forward. But we know many children did not see these gains in their own lives.

One billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, but inequality is growing and still shapes futures more than opportunity. We owe them more. We owe the world more. We must address the unfinished business. Expand the safety nets and promote decent work.

Billions of people are grappling with discriminatory laws and gender-based norms that limit what they can do and who they can become. Inequality is as stark as it was a generation ago, perhaps starker. Climate disasters are becoming routine. The digital divide is creating new forms of exclusion.

Trust towards institutions has eroded. Alarmingly, trust levels are lowest among younger generations. This tells us something we cannot ignore: Incremental progress isn't enough. When injustices are inherited from generation to generation with no hope in sight, we are tearing up the social contract.

The reality is that we've succeeded in some areas and failed in others. What we cannot do is continue with the approaches that got us here. Siloed policies will not solve today's deeply interconnected challenges. This Summit is our chance to break that pattern.

Last year's Pact for the Future called for leaders to accelerate the unfinished agenda of Copenhagen and turbocharge the SDGs. We're not here to simply reaffirm old commitments. We're here to honour them, by fundamentally changing how we work.

The Political Declaration adopted yesterday will guide our efforts and reaffirm our commitment to a people-centred agenda. Our children and youth of today will grow up in a world transformed by technologies we're only beginning to understand. We're handing them artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digital tools that could either liberate or exclude them.

The potential is enormous. These technologies could accelerate sustainable development and create unprecedented opportunities, but without guardrails they could deepen inequality and displace millions. The difference comes down to the choices we make now.

The Doha Political Declaration helps ensure those choices serve people and planet. It lays the groundwork to accelerate action across the SDGs and safeguard progress for the decades ahead. Equity. Security. Solidarity: The Declaration provides a framework and concrete steps to advance all three.

The Declaration outlines action to improve decent work opportunities and expand access to education, healthcare, social protection, food security, housing and digital infrastructure. We know that if we remain in our silos we will fail. It's that simple.

The Doha Political Declaration recognizes a simple truth: The things that shape people's lives are deeply connected. You can't lift someone out of poverty if they don't have access to education. You can't sustain decent jobs while destroying the environment. Food security, health, digital access - none of these exist in isolation.

This mirrors what the 2030 Agenda has long understood: Real progress only happens when we move forward together, across all fronts. It also challenges our old habit of measuring success purely by gross domestic product (GDP).

How much a country produces tells us nothing about whether people can afford healthcare, breathe clean air or live with dignity. We need measures that capture what actually matters, whether lives are improving, whether opportunity is shared fairly and whether progress can last.

So, we need Governments to lead with integrated policies and sustained investment. We need local authorities and civil society organizations - closest to communities - to drive implementation. We need the private sector to create decent work and ensure innovation serves inclusion.

And we need the United Nations on the ground, working alongside Governments, supporting with technical expertise, convening partners and ensuring that we never lose sight of that critical last mile of delivery.

This shared responsibility is in the DNA of all the agreements we've reached over the past year. The Pact for the Future, the Nice Declaration, the Sevilla Commitment and the Doha Political Declaration together create a framework for multilateral solutions that put people at the heart of development.

The real test begins after Doha - our task is to deliver on these commitments. The UN stands ready to work alongside you leveraging initiatives such as the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions.

Through the Spotlight Initiative, we've demonstrated how significant, concerted investment in gender equality and ending violence can transform the lives of women and girls.

On the road to 2030, the Doha Political Declaration will guide important milestones, including the 2027 SDG Summit. Your engagement and the voices of the people will be critical to creating momentum and delivering on our commitments. The work ahead demands political will, collective action, sustained investment and accountability to the people we serve.

Thirty years ago in Copenhagen, we made promises to a generation. Some we kept. Too many we didn't. Today in Doha, we're making promises to the current and next generation. They will look back at what we did here, not at what we said, but at what we delivered. They will ask whether we had the courage to change course. Whether we kept our promises this time. The answer must be yes. Thank you.