On February 13, 2025, Human Rights Now was selected by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) as an NGO to make a question intervention during the CSocD63 “Interactive dialogue with senior officials of the UN System on Preparations for the World Social Summit under the title ‘the Second World Summit for Social Development‘” which was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
To recording is available on UN Web TV.
The transcript of the intervention is as follows.
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Larissa Truchan
Thank you, your excellencies.
My name is Larissa Truchan, I am the International Engagement Directorate for the Migration Youth and Children Platform, as well as the UN Representative for Human Rights Now.
I had a statement prepared on Commitment 4 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Inclusion. However, instead of repeating the commitments that we all already know we need to aim towards, I want to use this space to discuss the gaps in the lead up to the Second World Social Summit, and strategies to address these gaps, from a youth and civil society perspective.
This intervention has been particularly inspired and informed by discussions at a side event held yesterday by the German Youth Delegates. Thank you especially to the German Youth Delegates creating space to discuss gaps and strategies to address these gaps ahead of the Second World Social Summit.
The UN Charter opens with “we the peoples,” but will the Second World Social Summit be open for the people to participate in? While the First World Social Summit in 1995 was widely known as the “People’s Summit,” the degree to which civil society will be granted permission to participate in the upcoming summit in Qatar remains undefined. My question – Who will be invited? Whose voices will be prioritized?
Civil society must be included in important Summits such as the upcoming one for the simple sake of accountability, transparency, and democracy. It is civil society who is largely monitoring how commitments are implemented on the ground in each Member State. It is civil society who largely influence Member States to better reflect the lived experiences of their own people. Member States depend on, and benefit from, civil society; but you must let us all in.
This leads me to the second gap – civil society must be included not only in the Second World Social Summit itself, but in the development and discussions of the outcome document. The vast majority of us did not have the opportunity to directly contribute to the Food for Thought paper. My question – Will Member States include civil society in the Food for Thought paper consultations in March 2025 with quote on quote “stakeholders,” in addition to the continual consultations from April through July?
In line with the Copenhagen Declaration’s pledge to leave no one behind, I want to stress the importance of including intergenerational populations, in particular youth, in these consultations. Further, to ensure diverse participation of youth in the Second World Social Summit, I urge Member States, including my own state, the United States, to create youth delegate programs like the one offered in Germany, and to open funding opportunities to attend the upcoming summit, especially for youth leaders from the Global South. If we are not there, we are certain our perspectives on our own future will be left out.
Lastly, I cannot emphasize enough that Member States who choose to host these Summits rooted in human rights and social development actually live up to the commitments established during the Summits. I applaud Qatar for the huge progress it has made in its levels of social development since the Copenhagen Declaration in 1995. However, we need to ensure that social protections are not only limited to citizens, but to migrants, and in particular migrant workers as well. Social protection is a human right that everyone deserves, no matter where they may come from. My question – how can we ensure host countries to Summits fully implement the commitments of these Summits?
I look forward to continuously engaging with Member States in the lead up to the World Social Summit. Thank you.
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