The third high-level event will commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, on 6-12 March 1995. The Summit’s outcome, the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, constituted an agreement to give social development goals the highest priority. It set an ambitious people-centred agenda aimed to promote social progress, justice and the betterment of the human condition, based on full participation by all.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to address the Commission during the commemoration event. A keynote address will also be delivered by Mr. Juan Somavia, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Inter-regional Policy Cooperation and Chair of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit for Social Development.

For inclusion. For equality. For people.

“We don’t want to just promote what we perceive as effective social policies, we want to show how the term ‘effective’ is interpreted in practice, on the ground, in daily life”

Daniela Bas

Director, UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development

To support the commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, DSPD will launch a period of reflection on social progress to date and the challenges ahead. Beginning with the 53rd session of the Commission of Social Development and running throughout 2015, communication efforts of the division will give special attention to the role and contributions of social development to the process and practice of sustainable inclusive development that leaves no one behind.

The yearlong outreach campaign, “For People”, will be organized under the umbrella of the United Nations ‘2015 Time for Global Action’, and focus on the sub-theme, ‘For inclusion. For equality. For people’. The campaign aims to inspire and motivate people around the world to join an ongoing multifaceted dialogue on the progress and future of social development and its role in achieving sustainable development now and in the future.

“Putting people at the centre of sustainable development is essential to the post-2015 agenda and the continued development in a broad range of areas,” said Daniela Bas. “This campaign will not only strengthen the attention to this reality, but will engage the public in unpacking what it actually means to ‘put people at the centre’ helping to inform our work and the work of the international community from the bottom up. We don’t want to just promote what we perceive as effective social policies, we want to learn how the term ‘effective’ is interpreted in practice, on the ground, in daily life.”

For more information:

53rd Commission for Social Development

For People campaign