The UN’s Second World Social Summit, held in Doha, Qatar from 4–6 November, brought together world leaders to accelerate action on the three interrelated pillars of social development: poverty eradication, employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion.

As a follow-up to the landmark 1995 World Social Summit in Copenhagen, the gathering aimed to reinvigorate momentum to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to strengthen international cooperation for social development. Representatives from SOS Children’s Villages were among the 14,000 participants, which included more than 40 Heads of State and Government, 170 ministers, UN entities, international organizations, civil society and other partners.

SOS Children’s Villages International co-sponsored the solutions session “Care and Support Systems for Reinforcing Family-Oriented Policies: A Vision for Sustainable Development”, together with the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD), the Permanent Mission of Poland to the United Nations, UN DESA and the Learning for Well-being Institute.

Phoukham Phetphouvong, Advocacy Coordinator of SOS Children’s Villages Laos, spoke about the family strengthening services across 15 villages in the country that reduce the risk of child–family separation, and how initiatives such as Skills for Work equip young people with employability skills, connect them to job opportunities and foster entrepreneurship.

“When families are strong and young people have opportunities, communities thrive,” Phetphouvong remarked. “And when the private sector joins hands with civil society and government, we create a future where no child is separated because of poverty, and every young person can contribute to a resilient, inclusive society.”

Another solutions session co-sponsored by SOS Children’s Villages International was “Addressing Structural Inequalities Through Girls’ Education for Inclusive Social Development”, together with the Governments of Ireland and Sierra Leone, Plan International, Save the Children International, ChildFund Alliance and the Malala Fund.

The organization’s UN Representative (ad interim), Nilay Tuncok, moderated the session, where speakers highlighted challenges and solutions to persistent inequalities in girls’ access to quality education. Issues discussed included poverty, cyberbullying, child marriage, lack of infrastructure, and the need for decision makers to address cultural, financial and geographical barriers.

SOS Children’s Villages Kenya National Director, Walter Odhiambo, contributed to two sessions led by the International Federation for Family Development—“Towards an African Solutions Framework: Family Policy and Social Protection” and “Family Policies and Programmes”—sharing how the organization collaborates with government to ensure an adequate legal environment for children and families, including care-oriented laws and policies.

Odhiambo also described how SOS Children’s Villages Kenya’s family strengthening programmes, such as income-generating activities, positive parenting and livelihood support, are grounded in listening to families:

“[The programmes] try to understand what are the reasons that make the family struggle and we work to support them, starting by co-creating...and working with families to ensure gaps in taking care of children and making families thrive are taken of.”

The Summit also created opportunities to meet with existing and prospective partners. SOS Children’s Villages International displayed the organization’s Global Report on Care and Protection at the exhibit booth of one of its partners, the Global Alliance for Care.

A key outcome of the Summit was the Doha Political Declaration, which includes commitments from governments to invest in child-sensitive policies to tackle poverty; ensure access to social protection for caregivers and care receivers; provide quality education, skills development and vocational training for youth; and invest in early childhood development, including protecting children from violence, exploitation, child labour and abuse.

The organization’s UN office in New York closely followed these negotiations to advocate for strong child rights language. With the Declaration now adopted, governments must translate global commitments into national laws, policies and plans that are adequately funded and inclusive of vulnerable children—particularly those without parental care or at risk of losing it.