(Bandar Seri Begawan, 8th) The second World Summit for Social Development was held from November 4 to 6 in Doha, Qatar, bringing together more than 14,000 participants from around the world, including heads of state, government leaders, deputy prime ministers, ministers of social development, heads of international organizations, youth leaders, civil society, and private sector representatives.
The summit adopted the 'Doha Political Declaration', emphasizing three interrelated priority areas—eradicating poverty, achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all, and promoting social inclusion.
Speeches at the opening ceremony were delivered by UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Qatar's host Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and ECOSOC President Paula Narváez.
Brunei was represented at the summit by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dato Nazmi, who emphasized in his speech that Brunei will continue to implement the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, a commitment further reiterated through the Doha Political Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He introduced that Brunei is advancing national social policies through the 'Social Blueprint' and 'Manpower Blueprint', both implemented as nationwide strategies, coordinated through multi-agency cooperation by the National Council on Social Affairs, the Manpower and Employment Planning Council, and the Special Steering Committee for National Sustainable Development Goals, among others.
Minister Nazmi also referred to regional cooperation, including the establishment of the 'ASEAN Centre for Climate Change' in Brunei and support for the 'ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy'.
In addition to plenary sessions, the summit featured a series of high-level roundtable meetings focusing on eradicating poverty, creating decent job opportunities, promoting social inclusion, and reviewing the implementation achievements and challenges of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Brunei's participation in this summit demonstrates its ongoing commitment to strengthening global coordination of social policies, promoting inclusive development, and ensuring that 'no one is left behind'. The delegation also included several senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.