UN Women at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha
The Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) was held from 4 to 6 November in Doha, Qatar, at a crucial time to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Marking 30 years since the Copenhagen Declaration and the Beijing Platform for Action, the Summit presented a key opportunity to renew global commitments to gender equality and tackle ongoing gaps in social and economic progress.
UN Women’s Role at the Summit
UN Women participated actively in Doha, promoting a transformative agenda aimed at addressing the root causes of gender inequality in social development.
Summit Themes and Gender Equality
The Summit focused on three main pillars:
- Poverty eradication
- Full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Social integration
These areas are strongly linked with gender equality challenges.
Key Gender Equality Facts
- One in every ten women lives in extreme poverty.
- Among the 3.8 billion people lacking social protection, 2 billion are women and girls.
- The gender gap in labour force participation is 27.7%, with only 64.5% of women aged 25 to 54 in the workforce compared to 92% of men in the same age group, with little improvement over two decades.
- These disadvantages accumulate over time, leaving older women in especially vulnerable situations.
"The Summit's three core pillars – poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social integration – are deeply interconnected with gender equality."
Author’s summary: The WSSD2 Summit in Doha emphasized the urgent need to close persistent gender gaps in poverty, work, and social protection to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.