From Seville to Doha: High-Level ILO Event Sets Bold Social Agenda for WSSD2

On the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) held in Seville, Spain, a powerful momentum emerged to reshape the global social development landscape. On 1 July 2025, a high-level special event titled "From Seville to Doha: Financing Inclusive and Sustainable Social Development" brought together an influential assembly of senior government officials, UN leaders, development banks, and social partners to accelerate progress toward the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), scheduled for 4–6 November in Doha, Qatar.

Hosted jointly by Spain, Qatar, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the event served as a political and technical bridge between Seville and Doha, aiming to convert lofty declarations into meaningful outcomes rooted in equity, solidarity, and social justice.

“Let’s call this what it is: solidarity, within and between States,” declared ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, who moderated the event. “Inclusive multilateralism needs action.”

The Compromiso de Sevilla: A New Benchmark for Global Social Investment

At the heart of the event was a strong endorsement of the Compromiso de Sevilla, the official outcome document of the FfD4 conference. The document positions social protection and inclusive public finance as cornerstones of sustainable economic transformation. It commits countries to increasing social protection coverage by at least two percentage points per year—a scientifically grounded benchmark championed by the ILO.

Director-General Houngbo announced the imminent launch of an ILO-led global monitoring and support platform to help countries track and implement these targets. This platform will offer technical assistance, performance tracking, and knowledge sharing to ensure measurable progress in expanding coverage.

“This is not just about economic reform—it’s about institutional credibility and restoring public trust in a fairer global system,” Houngbo said.

Global Leadership Voices Call for Systemic Change

The event featured keynote contributions from global leaders who framed social development not as a moral imperative alone, but as a strategic economic investment.

• Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s Vice-President and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, reaffirmed Spain’s long-standing commitment to embedding social objectives into macroeconomic planning, calling for sustained leadership beyond Seville.

• Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that WSSD2 in Doha will be a defining milestone in renewing global commitments to social progress and inclusive governance.

• Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, underscored that “social spending is not a luxury—it is a productive investment.” He emphasized aligning fiscal policy with inclusive development as essential to rebuilding trust in global governance.

Key Perspectives from Multilateral Institutions and Civil Society

The panel featured voices from across the global development ecosystem, offering diverse insights and proposals to deepen the social agenda:

• Bob Rae, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), addressed the global crisis of trust in public institutions, warning that economic models driven solely by short-term gains are unsustainable. “We need an economic narrative that values dignity, decent work, and collective resilience,” he said.

• Luc Triangle, representing the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), advocated for anchoring social protection policies in living wages, gender equality, and freedom of association—core to any rights-based approach to development.

• Roberto Suárez Santos, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), called for mobilizing private capital toward labour-compliant enterprises aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Iñigo Albizuri, from the Arizmendiarrieta Social Economy Think Tank, championed the role of the social and solidarity economy in building resilient communities. He urged governments and multilateral agencies to institutionalize these models into financial frameworks.

Charting the Course to Doha

Closing the event, Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN and co-facilitator of the FfD4 outcome negotiations, reiterated the urgency of turning the Compromiso de Sevilla into concrete actions. He emphasized that Doha must deliver on Seville’s promise by translating rhetoric into measurable social change.

“The Seville outcomes are significant, but their credibility depends entirely on our delivery in Doha and beyond,” said Thapa.

With growing social, economic, and environmental challenges converging globally, the ILO reiterated its role as both a convening force and standard-bearer in the global movement toward social justice and decent work. It will continue to guide governments and stakeholders as they prepare for the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar, ensuring that people—not just profits—are at the center of development finance.