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UN social policy commission closes with calls to turn pledges into action

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Meeting at UN Headquarters, in New York, from 2 to 10 February, the Commission for Social Development marked its first session since the Second World Summit for Social Development, held in Doha last year.

The gathering brought together ministers, senior UN officials, civil society groups and youth representatives to examine how global pledges can be translated into coordinated, inclusive and equitable policies at the national level.

Opening the session, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Lok Bahadur Thapa stressed that social development policies are where “resilience, social cohesion, and trust are ultimately tested.”

He warned that widening inequalities, demographic change, and rapid digital and green transitions are placing growing strain on societies worldwide. Responding in an integrated, people-centred way, he said, is “not merely a policy choice; it is a moral imperative.”

Delegates at the 64th session of the Commission for Social Development.

What is the Commission for Social Development?

The Commission for Social Development is an ECOSOC functional commission and the United Nations’ primary intergovernmental body for social development.

Established in 1946, it has helped shape global policy frameworks on poverty eradication, employment, social protection and inclusion, including by steering follow-up to landmark agreements such as the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and, more recently, the 2025 Doha Political Declaration.

Click here for UN News special coverage of the Doha Summit

Over the years, the Commission has driven progress on universal social protection, decent work for all, and international focus on groups at risk of exclusion, including persons with disabilities, older persons, youth and families.  

Its conclusions have informed national policies, helped develop social protection floors, and reinforced links between social development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Commission meets annually at UN Headquarters, in New York, generally in February.

Click here for more information on the Commission

A post-Doha moment for social policy

This year’s priority theme – advancing social development and social justice through coordinated, equitable and inclusive policies – framed discussions throughout the session, reflecting concerns that fragmented policymaking is slowing progress on poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion.

Addressing delegates, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock underscored that social development is not a secondary concern reserved for calmer times, but “the foundation that peace is built upon” and a critical investment in stability.

Ending hunger and poverty, she said, is both a moral obligation and a matter of security, noting how deprivation fuels conflict, migration and instability.

From commitments to delivery

In a message to the Commission, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted the shift signalled by the Doha Political Declaration away from incremental progress towards more ambitious, coordinated action.

She pointed to strong civil society engagement – with more than 700 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) registered for the session – and urged governments to match that readiness with concrete delivery.

“If Copenhagen, Doha and the 2030 Agenda are where we drew the map, then the Commission for Social Development sets us on the road,” she said.

Click here to watch the Deputy Secretary-General’s message

Coordinating policies in a changing world

Throughout the session, speakers repeatedly stressed the need for greater policy coherence – aligning employment strategies with universal social protection floors, inclusive education and health systems, and just-transition measures.

The Commission also examined emerging social challenges, including demographic change, labour-market disruption, and the social impacts of digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

Delegates heard that while new technologies carry risks, they can also accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if governed inclusively and equitably.

A young boy relaxes in a wicker basket as his family threshes harvested wheat.

Youth mental health in focus

Youth voices featured prominently, reflecting the Commission’s emphasis on inclusion. The launch of the World Youth Report on Youth Mental Health and Well-being highlighted the growing pressures facing young people – from poverty and inequality to climate stress, conflict and digital harms.

Youth delegates and advocates shared lived experiences, describing how uncertainty about the future is eroding trust and well-being among younger generations, while calling for preventive, community-based and youth-responsive approaches.

Resolutions endorsed

At the close of the session, Member States endorsed two draft resolutions – one on advancing social development and social justice through coordinated, equitable and inclusive social policies, and another on the social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

The resolutions reaffirm commitments made at the 1995 Copenhagen Summit and the 2025 Doha Summit, while emphasizing the need to translate global pledges into concrete national action.

Outcomes from the session will feed into upcoming UN processes, including the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July, ECOSOC’s broader work, and the General Assembly’s five-year follow-up towards a high-level review of social development commitments in 2031.

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UN ready to assist Nepal following deadly protests over social media ban

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Police used tear gas and opened fire on protesters attempting to storm the parliament complex in the capital, Kathmandu, according to media reports. 

Curfews have been imposed in parts of the city and in Rupandehi, with restrictions on movement effective in Pokhara.

‘So unlike Nepal’

UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Fikry Ahmed Singer described the situation as “so unlike Nepal” and feared that casualty numbers will rise. 

“Lots of my staff here are crying,” she told UN News in an interview.  “They haven’t seen violence in their lifetime.”

The protests came just days after the Nepalese Government blocked more than 20 social media platforms such as WhatsApp, X and Facebook, as well as websites such as YouTube, for failing to register with the authorities.

“The Government wanted them to align to the internal laws as well because they have been concerned about misinformation, hate speech and social harmony, and to ensure oversight and monitoring,” she said.

“However, the decision was widely criticised as being too broad and has been perceived by many, particularly young people who are very global, like all parts of the world now, they consider this as a restriction on freedom of expression and access to digital spaces.”

Concern for civilians

Ms. Ahmed Singer voiced deep concern for the safety of civilians and underscored the urgent need to ensure unrestricted medical access to the injured. 

“The immediate priority now is the protection of civilians, particularly young people who are at the forefront of the protests,” she said.

Social media came back online shortly before the interview.  The senior humanitarian official said she posted a message on X calling upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint, adhere to basic principles on use of force and firearms, and ensure that people can safely and peacefully exercise their democratic rights.

“The most important now is unrestricted access to medical care as well for those that are injured, if needed,” she said.

Supportive role

Meanwhile, UN agencies in the country – such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN human rights office, OHCHR – are monitoring developments closely.

They are preparing health and other forms support if needed and stand ready to facilitate dialogue. 

“Our role really is to remind everybody to ensure the protection of civilians, safeguard fundamental freedoms, and support Nepal in its commitment to international human rights norms and standards,” she said. 

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Afghan women face near total social, economic and political exclusion

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But recently, the level of participation has reached a new low – zero.

Zero women in national or local decision-making bodies.

Zero girls projected to be in secondary education following a December 2024 ban.

These numbers are part of the index released Tuesday by gender equality agency UN Women which is the most comprehensive study on gender inequality in Afghanistan since the Taliban resumed de facto control in 2021.

It paints a sobering picture of the state of gender equality in Afghanistan.

“Since [2021], we have witnessed a deliberate and unprecedented assault on the rights, dignity and very existence of Afghan women and girls. And yet, despite near-total restrictions on their lives, Afghan women persevere,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women chief of humanitarian action, at a briefing in Geneva.

Second-widest gender gap in the world

The report released by UN Women noted that while the Taliban regime has presided over “unparalleled” gender inequality, disparities existed long before 2021.

“The issue of gender inequality in Afghanistan didn’t start with the Taliban. Their institutionalised discrimination is layered on top of deep-rooted barriers that also hold women back,” Ms. Calltorp said. 

According to the index, Afghanistan currently has the second-worst gender gap in the world, with a 76 per cent disparity between women’s and men’s achievements in health, education, financial inclusion and decision-making.

Afghan women are currently realizing only 17 per cent of their potential, and recent policies by the de facto government — including the December 2024 ban on women in secondary education and the increasingly stringent restrictions on women’s movement — will perpetuate and perhaps worsen this under-realized potential.

Systematic exclusion and social effects

This sort of systematic exclusion of women from society at all levels not only impedes progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender equality but also exacerbates poverty and instability more broadly, making it harder for the economy to diversify labour sources.

“Afghanistan’s greatest resource is its women and girls. Their potential continues to be untapped,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

Right now, only 24 per cent of women are part of the labour force, compared to 89 per cent of men. Continued protracted economic strife has led to the number of women in the workforce increasing.

“Overlapping economic, political, and humanitarian crises — all with women’s rights at their core — have pushed many households to the brink. In response – often out of sheer necessity — more women are entering the workforce,” Ms. Calltorp said.

Nevertheless, women are still predominantly working in lower-paid and less secure positions and are overwhelmingly responsible for all unpaid domestic work.

Ms. Calltorp noted that despite the “devastating” daily constraints that Afghan women face, they continue to advocate for themselves and their rights.

“[Afghan women] continue to find ways to run businesses and advocate for their rights – and the rights of all Afghans…Their courage and resilience spans generations,” Ms. Calltorp said.

Stark choices

Alongside a deteriorating gender equality landscape, the aid outlook in Afghanistan is increasingly bleak with only 18 per cent of the 2025 humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan funded.

This is having tangible impacts on the ground, leading UN agencies and partners to call for action and funds.

“Time and time again in Afghanistan, we have seen how donor support can be the difference between life and death…We make an urgent appeal to donors to increase flexible, timely and predictable funding,” they said.

Women, girls and other vulnerable groups are particularly impacted by these funding shortages — 300 nutrition sites for malnourished mothers and children have shut and 216 gender-based violence points have suspended work impacting over one million women and girls.

“The choices we make now will reveal what we stand for as a global community. If the world tolerates the erasure of Afghan women and girls, it sends a message that the rights of women and girls everywhere are fragile and expendable,” Ms. Calltorp said.

“Afghan women and girls haven’t given up, and we will not give up on them.”

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Social and economic barriers, not choice, driving global fertility crisis: UNFPA

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The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) unveiled its flagship State of World Population report on Tuesday, warning that a rising number of people are being denied the freedom to start families due to skyrocketing living costs, persistent gender inequality, and deepening uncertainty about the future.

Titled The real fertility crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world, the report argues that what’s really under threat is people’s ability to choose freely when – and whether – to have children.

The report draws on a recent UNFPA/YouGov survey covering 14 countries that together represent 37 per cent of the global population.

Money worries

Economic barriers were the top factor, with 39 per cent of respondents citing financial limitations as the main reason for having fewer children than they would like.

Fear for the future – from climate change to war – and job insecurity followed, cited by 19 per cent and 21 per cent of respondents, respectively.

Thirteen per cent of women and eight per cent of men pointed to the unequal division of domestic labour as a factor in having fewer children than desired.

The survey also revealed that one in three adults have experienced an unintended pregnancy, one in four felt unable to have a child at their preferred time and one in five reported being pressured to have children they did not want.

 

Solutions to the fertility crisis

The report warns against simplistic and coercive responses to falling birth rates, such as baby bonuses or fertility targets, which are often ineffective and risk violating human rights.

Instead, UNFPA urges governments to expand choices by removing barriers to parenthood identified by their populations.

Recommended actions include making parenthood more affordable through investments in housing, decent work, paid parental leave and access to comprehensive reproductive health services.

Immigration factor

The agency also encourages governments to view immigration as a key strategy to address labour shortages and maintain economic productivity amid declining fertility.

Regarding gender inequality, the report calls for addressing stigma against involved fathers, workplace norms that push mothers out of the workforce, restrictions on reproductive rights, and widening gender gaps in attitudes among younger generations that are contributing to rising singlehood.

India Unhappy? So is it, Says UN Report

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Money is not the sole reason to be happy but India cannot bask upon its social cohesiveness and
political leadership as the World Happiness Report 2017 has put it in 122nd rank, behind
Pakistan and Nepal. It has also jumped from 118 last year to 122 this year.

The report, released on Monday at the United Nations, ranked 155 countries and Pakistan was
surprsingly at 80th position, Bhutan at 97, Nepal at 99, Bangladesh at 110 and sri Lanka at
120th position.

The top ten nations are of course the Scandinavian countries followed by Canada, New Zealand and
Australia. Here is the list of top 10 Happiness Nations:

HAPPIEST COUNTRIES
1. Norway 7.54
2. Denmark 7.42
3. Iceland 7.5
4. Switzerland 7.49
5. Finland 7.47
6. Netherlands 7.38
7. Canada 7.32
8. New Zealand 7.321
9. Australia 7.28
10. Sweden 7.28

Here is the list of least happiness countries:

146. Yemen 3.59
147. South Sudan 3.59
148. Liberia 3.53
149. Guinea 3.51
150. Togo 3.49
151. Rwanda 3.47
152. Syria 3.46
153. Tanzania 3.35
154. Burundi 2.91
155. Central African Republic 2.69

Norway is the top most this year surpassing Denmark that topped it last year. The trend to study
happiness began in 2013 when the US National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommended
questions on happiness. The United States is ranked 14.

However, the report has brought to light the misery of people behind mental illness which has a
lot to do with happiness and not merely money. “Differences in mental health, physical health
and personal relationships (is) the biggest single source of misery is mental illness,” the
report said.“Income differences matter more in poorer countries, but even their mental illness
is a major source of misery,” it said.

“What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common
good,” said Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, who wasn’t part
of the global scientific study that came out with the rankings.

The rankings are based on GDP per person, healthy life expectancy, social support, their freedom to make their own life choices, their sense of corruption in society and generosity.