The SDSN at the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025
From November 3-6, 2025, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) will participate in the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) in Doha, Qatar.
The SDSN’s Engagements at WSSD2
Throughout the week, the SDSN and its partners will host a series of events addressing a wide range of sustainable development challenges, including equitable access to quality education, job mobility and training within the green and digital transitions, education's role in peace, and the role of higher education institutions in the future of sustainable development.
Global Citizenship Education for All: Advancing Social Inclusion through Equitable Access to Quality Education
November 3, 2025 | 9:00 am NYC, 5:00 pm Doha
The Second World Summit for Social Development will bring together global leaders, experts, and stakeholders to address pressing challenges in achieving sustainability, social inclusion, and human well-being. Education — and in particular Global Citizenship Education (GCED) — is central to these goals. But GCED is more than just cultural exchange — it’s a broad framework for learning to thrive together in an interconnected world. By fostering respect for diversity, human rights, and sustainability, GCED helps build more inclusive societies.
In this side event, we'll explore how two innovative projects—Mission 4.7 Malaysia and Ages of Globalization—are innovating GCED pedagogies to foster social inclusion, with particular attention to issues of access, localization, and implementation. Featuring experts from SDSN, the Center for Sustianable Development at Columbia University, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, and the Georgia Tech College of Lifetime Learning, this event invites education policymakers and practitioners, civil society organizations, youth networks, and private-sector stakeholders to explore the transformative potential of GCED for advancing social inclusion, and to exchange best practices and lessons learned from two exemplary models.
Strengthening Education for Peace, Dignity, and Justice: Transformative models and initiatives
November 4, 2025 | 9:00 am NYC, 5:00 pm Doha
Organized by the SDSN’s SDG Academy and Columbia University, this side event aims to advance the topic of education for global peace, titled “Strengthening Education for Peace, Dignity, and Justice: Transformative models and initiatives.” Education is central to social development because it can empower individuals to participate fully in economic, political, and cultural life, laying the foundation for more just and equitable societies. By equipping people with adequate knowledge and skills, education can foster social cohesion, nurture philosophies of care, and encourage lasting progress.
This WSSD2 session will highlight ideas at the forefront of this movement, accompanied by local initiatives and solutions that re-center education on principles of peace and harmony. Specifically, three themes will be drawn out from a panel of expert speakers, including 1) Virtues, values, and holistic learning, 2) Knowledge systems and epistemic justice, and 3) Bringing together social and environmental peace. The session will assemble scholars, practitioners, and youth to reimagine education to promote global peace and cement education’s value in the principles to be adopted at the Second World Social Summit.
Higher Education’s Value Proposition for Inclusive Futures for All: Cross-cutting multi-stakeholder solutions to advance Social Development
November 5, 2025 | 8:00 am NYC, 4:00 pm Doha
Higher Education’s Value Proposition for Inclusive Futures for All builds on the outcomes of the Global Higher Education Symposium (GHES) convened at UN Headquarters during the High-Level Political Forum in July 2025. The event was organized by UN Academic Impact along with the SDSN, the International Science Council (ISC), International Association of Universities (IAU), UNESCO, UNITAR, York University (Canada), Government of Ireland SDG Champion (UCD), Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia, and the UN Major Group for Children and Youth.
A consensus statement seeks to deepen strategic perspectives on the evolving role of higher education as a trusted, transformative societal actor in advancing just, inclusive, and sustainable development to activate new ways of addressing the societal challenges of our time. Framed by the WSSD2's call for effective multilateralism, social cohesion, and whole-of-society approaches, the consensus outlines how higher education can serve as a bridge across the knowledge–policy–society interfaces.
Based on this framing, this solutions event will showcase some multistakeholder collaboration on the following cross-cutting instruments outlined in the World Social Summit draft political declaration multistakeholder solutions in 1) quality education and life-long learning, 2) technology and artificial intelligence, and 3) innovations in finance to advance social development worldwide.
Pathways to Future Skills: Multistakeholder Solutions for a Sustainable and Inclusive Labour Market For All
November 6, 2025 | 8:00 am NYC, 4:00 pm Doha
Thirty years after the adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, the nature of work has been fundamentally reshaped by rapid technological innovation, demographic shifts, and the transition to sustainable and circular economies. Yet, critical gaps persist, particularly in promoting full employment and decent work for all.
This webinar, hosted by the SDSN and BuildSkills Academy, seeks to showcase the multistakeholder initiatives that are focusing on enabling a labour market that is more sustainable, inclusive, and that supports employability for all. It will build on discussions from the 2025 EU Green Week session “Pathways to a Circular Economy: Adapting VET Training to Market Needs” and aim to identify scalable solutions that equip all workers with the skills they need for a sustainable future.