Resilience at the Core: Reframing Social Development for a Risk-Prone World
Venues: Qatar National Convention Centre, Doha (Room TBC)
Join: In-Person
The Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025 takes place at a pivotal time, as only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track amid compounding global crises. Disasters—driven by climate extremes, pandemics, and economic shocks—are no longer isolated events but systemic threats that disrupt lives, displace millions, and reverse decades of progress. Vulnerable populations such as women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those in poverty are disproportionately affected. Social development systems like health, education, and social protection are often ill-equipped to manage such shocks, deepening cycles of inequality and recovery without long-term resilience.
This moment also presents an opportunity to reshape development through risk-informed approaches. Evidence from the Sendai Framework Midterm Review and the Geneva Call for Disaster Risk Reduction shows that countries investing in disaster risk reduction (DRR) experience fewer losses and more equitable growth. DRR must be embedded into core development strategies—not as an afterthought, but as a foundation for inclusive, sustainable progress. The 2025 Summit serves as a crucial platform to elevate DRR as a tool for social justice, calling for stronger political will, institutional reform, and investment to build systems that anticipate risk, protect vulnerable communities, and leave no one behind.