(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) DOHA, Nov 4 (KUNA) -- President of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock affirmed Tuesday that the adoption of the Doha Political Declaration represents a decisive milestone toward achieving comprehensive social development.
Speaking at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Baerbock said the Qatari capital should mark the final stage of a journey that began in Copenhagen three decades ago.
She noted that over the past thirty years, the world has witnessed significant progress, as global unemployment declined from one billion people in 1995 to a historic low of five percent in 2024, while extreme poverty dropped from one-third of the global population to about two billion people.
However, she cautioned that economic growth alone has not been sufficient to lift everyone out of poverty, as widening gaps and structural imbalances continue to exclude millions from the benefits of development.
Despite a global unemployment rate of five percent, Baerbock noted wide disparities among countries, ranging from below one percent in some to nearly twenty percent in others.
She added that youth remain three times more likely to be unemployed, while women still earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Highlighting shared global challenges, Baerbock identified the climate crisis as the greatest obstacle to social development, explaining that climate-related disasters undermine social services and economic output.
She called for integrated solutions that link social, economic, and environmental priorities, stressing that ending hunger cannot be achieved separately from ensuring education, equality, and decent work.
Baerbock emphasized the urgent need to close a USD four-trillion financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including investments in digital transformation accessible to all.
She concluded that implementing the Doha Declaration will be challenging but remains essential to creating fair and inclusive opportunities for future generations. (pickup previous)
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