Doha, Qatar. Fondazione Proclade Internazionale-onlus (Claretians) participated in the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), held November 4-6, 2025, in Doha, Qatar, thirty years after the historic 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development. The event convened governments, multilateral organizations, and civil society representatives to renew global commitments to the Copenhagen Declaration and translate them into concrete social outcomes.
The Claretian delegation comprised Fr. Anim Prakash Inwar, CMF, from the Claretian Province of Kolkata, and Fr. Henry Ramírez Solér, CMF, member of the Claretian Team at the United Nations. Both participated also in the Civil Society Forum, a key component of the Summit, organized by the NGO Committee for Social Development in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the State of Qatar.
The Forum’s theme, “Putting People First: Advancing Global Social Development and Social Justice,” highlighted the imperative of centering poverty eradication while ensuring communities remain at the heart of development policy.
Throughout three days of sessions, participants acknowledged notable progress since Copenhagen while emphasizing persistent challenges: rising inequality, protracted conflicts, food insecurity, accelerating climate emergency, and expansion of precarious labor conditions. Delegates affirmed that reaffirmed social protections, decent work, and social inclusion remain essential pillars of sustainable development.
The Fondazione Proclade Internazionale-onlus, the Claretian Family’s international advocacy and cooperation arm, presented its policy brief at the Summit, advancing nine calls to action that connect Copenhagen’s commitments with outcomes from the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) held in Seville in July 2025. Key recommendations included:
- Reforming the global financial architecture for social outcomes
- Ensuring equitable resource mobilization to guarantee universal social protection
- Promoting demilitarization as a pathway to peace and integral human development
During the closing panel of the Civil Society Forum, Fr. Henry Ramírez, CMF, who serves as Vice-Chair of the NGO Committee for Social Development, moderated a high-level discussion centered on a unified call to action from global civil society. His remarks underscored the urgency of “translating global commitments into real, people-centered change through accountability, solidarity, and sustained implementation.”
