VIVAT at UN Social Development

From Doha commitments to concrete action for social justice

In February 2026, VIVAT International joined governments, UN agencies, and civil society organizations in New York for the 64th session of the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD64). It was a landmark session: the first intergovernmental follow‑up to the World Social Summit in Doha, and the beginning of translating the Doha Political Declaration into concrete social policies and programs on the ground.

VIVAT was officially represented by: Marides Santos, SSpS, and Paul Rahmat, SVD, both members of the VIVAT Team in New York; Rosario Jimenez, a lay collaborator of the Little Sisters of the Assumption; Sr. Deysi Martinez, LSA, a member of the Little Sisters of the Assumption; and Fr. Jean Hérick Jasmin, OMI, an intern in the New York VIVAT office and a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Their presence helped connect the realities of communities and congregations to global policy discussions at the UN.

Why CSocD64 mattered

CSocD64 met from 2–10 February 2026 under the priority theme:

“Advancing social development and social justice through coordinated, equitable, and inclusive social policies.”

For UN Member States and civil society, this meant:

• Putting social development back at the center of national plans, not treating it as an “add‑on” to economic policy.
• Moving from fragmented initiatives toward a whole‑of‑government and whole‑of‑society approach, linking social protection, decent work, care systems, education, health, and digital inclusion.
• Beginning the implementation of Doha commitments, with CSocD confirmed as the main follow‑up body for the World Social Summit.

An emerging‑issues panel focused specifically on:

Eradicating poverty and ensuring dignity through resilient care and support systems across the life course – including child care, care for persons with disabilities, and support for older persons, and recognizing both paid and unpaid care work.

By the end of the session, Member States had:

• Adopted a resolution on the priority theme, calling for coordinated, equitable, and inclusive social policies.
• Adopted a second resolution on the social dimension of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
• Agreed on the priority theme for CSocD65:
  “Strengthening social development through intergenerational approaches for achieving sustainable development and the implementation of Copenhagen and Doha commitments towards 2030 and beyond.”

For VIVAT, this context underscored a central conviction of our advocacy: social justice is not only a principle, but the foundation of peaceful, resilient, and inclusive societies.

VIVAT’s contribution: from preparation to active participation

VIVAT was deeply involved in preparing for CSocD64 and animating civil society participation before and during the session, especially through its active role in the NGO Committee for Social Development (NGO CSocD) in New York.

Shaping the agenda: advocacy and the Civil Society Declaration

Well before the Commission opened, VIVAT members helped develop shared advocacy priorities with the NGO CSocD, building on the commitments of Copenhagen (1995) and Doha (2025).

These priorities were woven into the Civil Society Declaration to CSocD64, which:

• Calls for eradicating poverty, with special attention to those in the most vulnerable situations;
• Affirms decent work and full, freely chosen employment as a cornerstone of dignity and inclusion;
• Insists on universal, gender‑transformative social protection systems;
• Highlights the centrality of care systems and the need to recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work;
• Stresses the meaningful participation of grassroots communities and marginalized groups at every stage of policy design and implementation.

The declaration was presented at the opening of CSocD64 and circulated widely among Member States, providing a clear civil society roadmap for implementing Doha and Copenhagen commitments in practice.

“Breakfast with the Bureau”: building trust with Member States

On 30 January, just before the Commission opened, VIVAT helped organize and support the traditional “Breakfast with the Bureau”—a dialogue space bringing together:

• The CSocD Bureau (Chair and Vice‑Chairs)
• Member State representatives
• UN DESA officials
• Civil society leaders from around the world

The breakfast focused on:

• How to move from political declarations to implementation
• Ways to formalize civil society engagement throughout the policy cycle
• Ensuring safe, inclusive access for NGOs to UN processes

The strong attendance by missions—many of whom VIVAT and partners had visited in 2025 during advocacy around the World Social Summit—was a sign of growing trust and collaboration between civil society and governments.

The Civil Society Forum: centering grassroots voices

As in previous years, the Civil Society Forum—organized by the NGO CSocD in cooperation with UN DESA—was a key moment where grassroots perspectives shaped the tone of the Commission.

A renewed format

This year’s Forum, held in Conference Room 4 at UN Headquarters, was structured around the three classic pillars of social development:

1. Poverty eradication
2. Decent work
3. Social inclusion

To maximize civil society participation, the format was redesigned:

• Each thematic panel combined a government representative, a UN expert, and a civil society speaker.
• After short inputs, the majority of the time was reserved for interventions from the floor, including pre‑recorded video statements from grassroots groups that could not obtain visas to travel to New York.
• Subcommittees on Advocacy, Grassroots, Education, and Communication all contributed to shaping the content, selecting speakers, and ensuring diversity of voices.

A broad and diverse participation

UN DESA reported that more than 700 NGO representatives registered for CSocD64 and that over 45 side events were held, with strong attendance at the Civil Society Forum.

Participants highlighted:

• The strong engagement of civil society in the Civil Society Forum and official panels.
• The importance of breaking silos between different NGO committees (Social Development, Status of Women, Financing for Development, Migration, etc.) to reflect the interconnected nature of today’s crises;
• The need to revitalize subcommittees and strengthen grassroots participation and leadership, not only at the Commission but throughout the year.

VIVAT’s ongoing work in multiple UN committees positioned it as an important bridge‑builder in these efforts.

Looking ahead: from New York to local communities

The conclusion of CSocD64 is not an endpoint, but a beginning. This session “sets the tone” for implementation of the Doha Declaration in the years leading to 2030 and for the five‑year global review of the Social Summit commitments starting in 2031.

For VIVAT, the next steps include:

• Bringing CSocD64 home – sharing outcomes and key messages with members, congregations, and grassroots partners in different regions.
• Monitoring how governments implement their social development and social justice commitments, including social protection, care policies, and decent work.
• Connecting Financing for Development and Social Development, to ensure that social policies are not just promised, but properly funded.
• Preparing for CSocD65, which will focus on intergenerational approaches—a theme closely aligned with VIVAT’s concern for children, youth, families, and older persons.

Above all, VIVAT will continue to insist that those most affected by poverty, exclusion, conflict, and environmental degradation must be at the center of decision‑making—from local communities to the global UN stage.

As one civil society leader summarized during the post‑Doha reflections:

“We have done a global summit in one country and a commission in another, working across time zones as volunteers, yet still expected to deliver ‘UN‑level’ processes. Our strength is in doing this together.”

CSocD64 showed that when VIVAT members, partners, and allies act together, our shared voice for social justice can and does influence the global agenda.

This post is also available in: