ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday said it hoped the UN’s Second World Social Summit to be held in Doha later this year would be a “turning point” in stepping up financial and structural support for developing nations to achieve the goal of inclusive social development.

On Feb. 26, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 78/261, officially establishing the “World Social Summit” under the title “Second World Summit for Social Development.” The summit, running from Nov. 4-6, will be a significant global event aimed at fostering inclusive social development and addressing key challenges to achieve well-being for all. It will serve as a platform for governments, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to collaborate on creating policies and strategies that promote inclusivity, equity, and sustainability.

“While we [developing nations] are strongly committed to inclusive social development, the financial and structural resources required to achieve that are lacking,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Alternate Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said while speaking at the 63rd Session of the Commission on Social Development.

“The Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha later this year must serve as a turning point. It must move beyond aspirations and deliver tangible outcomes to bridge the growing social divide.”

Ahmad said despite decades of international commitments to social progress, inequality remained widespread, pointing out that 65 percent of the world’s population lived in countries where income disparities were growing while 57 percent people in these nations reported distrust in public policies, making social cohesion even harder to achieve.

“We are conscious of how indispensable social cohesion is to achieving prosperity and sustainable development,” Ahmad said, adding that Pakistan has prioritized poverty eradication, employment generation and social inclusion through national initiatives such as the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, micro-financing schemes, universal health coverage, and e-governance reforms aimed at improving public service delivery and economic stability.

At the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Ahmad called for stronger commitments to expanding social safety nets, greater support for labor rights, including minimum wage guarantees, protections for informal workers and equal pay policies, arguing that these measures were essential for sustainable economic development.

The diplomat also stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability in governance, linking these to efforts to combat corruption, improve public service delivery and reform tax policies.

Ahmad also called for an overhaul of the global financial system to make it more equitable, pressing for comprehensive debt relief for developing nations and the reallocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) toward social welfare programs.