The first World Summit for Social Development was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 1995. It was a big event, gathering more than 14,000 participants, including delegations from 186 countries, with 117 present at the level of heads of state or government.
Its purpose was to establish a “people-centred” framework for social development – and it had lofty goals: eradicating poverty; promoting full, productive employment; increasing social inclusion; and improving social integration. These were codified in the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and a Programme of Action.
Thirty years later, the United Nations is hosting a Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) to review and reaffirm the Copenhagen Declaration – while addressing the gaps found in the development framework.
he Held in Doha, Qatar in the first week of November, it also aims to discuss development in the context of a changing world that has seen demographic shifts (ageing, urbanisation, migration), technological change, the climate crisis, pandemics like Covid-19, and different environmental stresses emerge, which complicate social development activities and necessitate a strategic rethink.
As well as looking to embed the social dimension more strongly in global and national policy, and encouraging collaboration between stakeholders, one of the outcomes of the event will be the adoption of a Political Declaration: a concise, consensus document that will, in theory, guide global social policy.
Related: Co-ops mentioned in draft declaration ahead of Doha
A draft of this declaration was agreed by UN General Assembly members states on 9 September – and it mentions co-operatives.
The statement, which follows an intergovernmental negotiating process at the UN, commits signatories to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. And as part of this, they pledge to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs, and support “innovative mechanisms, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), co-operatives as well as the social and solidarity economy”.
The declaration also highlights the role the social and solidarity economy can play in eradicating poverty, promoting social inclusion and catalysing social transformation, and “helping to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, while ensuring social development for all”.
“As a core component of the social and solidarity economy, co-operatives remain firmly committed to contributing to the realisation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the SDGs across their economic, social, and environmental dimensions,” reads the declaration.
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), which represents more than 300 co-operative organisations around the world, welcomed the declaration.
“The explicit recognition of co-operatives in the Doha Political Declaration reinforces our conviction that the co-operative model is indispensable to overcoming today’s global challenges of inequality, unemployment, and climate change,” said ICA president Ariel Guarco.
“In this International Year of Cooperatives, and in the spirit of the second World Summit for Social Development, where world leaders will reaffirm their commitment to the Copenhagen Declaration and advance global social justice, we are ready to work with governments and the UN to turn commitments into action.”
Earlier this year, the ICA launched the Cooperatives and Mutuals Leadership Circle – CM50, a network bringing together leaders of the world’s largest co-ops and mutuals, which will present a manifesto and commitment plan in Doha, Qatar, on 3 November.
The inclusion of co-operatives in the draft declaration was backed up by a call for stronger support for co-operatives from the UN secretary general, António Guterres, whose Cooperatives in Social Development report sets out a series of policy recommendations for member states to strengthen the sector’s role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The report calls for urgent action, warning that only 20% of measurable SDG targets are on track for 2030. Co-ops, it adds, contribute to eradicating poverty, providing decent work, and rebuilding social cohesion and trust.
The report features a range of case studies, from social co-ops in Italy and Indigenous peoples’ co-ops in the Americas to youth-led co-op projects in Africa and co-ops supporting senior residents in the Asia-Pacific region.
The International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) is also mentioned in the report, with the UN secretary general calling on governments to adopt several recommendations to continue the IYC’s momentum.
This includes reviewing and reforming co-op laws, ensuring autonomy, fair taxation, and access to capital for co-ops, and integrating them into national development plans. The report adds that co-ops should be recognised as key actors in the SDGs and the outcomes of the World Social Summit.
Member states should also provide funding to scale co-ops, the report says, and include them in sectoral strategies, particularly those led by marginalised populations.
Additional recommendations are to work with international bodies to map the co-operative ecosystem, develop robust indicators to track the movement’s social, economic, and environmental impact, and support co-ops in accessing training, leadership development, digital innovation, and market access.
“As the UN secretary general’s report on co-operatives in social development points out, we live in an increasingly polarised world that is impacted by institutional failure,” said Guarco, welcoming the report.
“In this context, the report rightly showcases co-operatives as a strategic asset. We welcome the report’s recommendations for supporting sustainable growth and the development of co-operatives and look forward to launching the Cooperatives and Mutuals Leadership Circle (CM50) Manifesto and Commitment Plan, the ICA 2026-2030 Strategy, and the 2025 edition of the World Cooperative Monitor at the World Social Summit in Doha, Qatar, this November.”
Alongside the CM50 event on 3 November, the ICA has been chosen to host a Solutions Session at the WSSD, on 4 November. Themed around the co-operative contribution to social justice, decent work, and sustainable development, the session will feature opening statements and keynote speeches by Heads of State and senior UN representatives, alongside roundtables of cooperative leaders from key sectors to showcase the movement’s global impact and innovation.
The ceremony will also include the official closing of IYC2025, with UN partners delivering closing messages, the launch of a special edition of the World Cooperative Monitor dedicated to IYC, and the presentation of the ICA’s 2026–2030 Global Strategy.
